Parker Messick’s breakout season did more than give the Guardians a frontline starter. It also handed the organization a bonus on the team-building side.
MLB announced Monday that Messick is a Cy Young finalist this season with Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease. That’s a major individual nod for the rookie, whose first full big league season featured a 2.56 ERA, 193 strikeouts and the kind of profile that looks a lot like a top-of-the-rotation arm.
It also means Cleveland is in line for an extra pick after the first round of the 2027 MLB Draft through the Prospect Promotion Incentive.
The PPI was created to reward clubs that bring up prospects early. Teams can earn an extra draft pick if a player finishes as a Rookie of the Year finalist or places in the top three in MVP or Cy Young voting before reaching arbitration eligibility. Messick was already expected to help the Guardians qualify for the system because he was going to be a Rookie of the Year finalist, but the Cy Young route makes it a little more notable.
The Guardians can only receive one PPI pick from Messick, so there’s no added bonus beyond that if he wins Rookie of the Year or the Cy Young.
Messick’s rise was not something most people saw coming this quickly. He flashed some promise in a seven-game cameo in 2025, but he took a much bigger leap this season after breaking camp with the Guardians in the spring when Logan Allen struggled during the final week of spring training.
Cleveland has now benefited from the prospect incentive system twice. The first time came in 2023, when Tanner Bibee finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Gunnar Henderson and received a full year of service time despite not debuting until the end of April. The Guardians, however, did not get a draft pick from that outcome.
This time, they do.
Messick was on the roster all season, so his service time was already set. But the extra draft pick gives Cleveland a little more to work with, and that matters for a franchise that has to keep building through the draft under the current CBA system. The Guardians had already traded away one of their picks in last year’s draft in the Patrick Bailey deal, so this one helps replenish the pipeline after a solid draft.
They can only move so many of those selections before it starts to cut into the way they build their roster. Thanks to Messick’s season, they won’t have to worry about that here.
In Other News...
Guardians Trade Buzz Puts Clevelands Outfield Plans Under Pressure
The offseason has already put Cleveland in a familiar spot, with the front office expected to stay active as the market takes shape and the possibility of a lockout after December 1 hovering over everything. Coming off a strong season, the Guardians have reason to keep reworking the roster, and the outfield is one of the areas drawing the most attention as trade discussions begin to heat up.
Steven Kwan has emerged as the more prominent name in the chatter, giving Cleveland a high-value piece that could bring back real help if the club decides to move him. Blake Perkins is also in the mix as a defense-first option, and the fact that both names are being floated suggests the Guardians may be weighing more than one path as they try to balance short-term competitiveness with whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Lost A Key Piece Of Their Pitching Pipeline
After 10 seasons in Cleveland, Joe Torres is moving on to join the Cincinnati Reds as their major league pitching coach, taking over the role vacated by Derek Johnson. Torres had become a familiar and important part of the Guardians pitching operation, working closely with the staff and helping guide a number of young arms through their development.
For the Guardians, the timing matters as much as the departure itself. They now have to find someone to step into that lane alongside pitching coach Carl Willis for the 2027 season, and replacing a longtime voice in the room is never a simple matter when a club has leaned on that continuity to shape its pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Lose Another Pitching Voice As Francona Reunites With Familiar Staffer
Another familiar pitching voice is leaving Clevelands staff, with Joe Torres set to take over as the Reds head pitching coach under Terry Francona. Torres has been with the Guardians organization since 2017, working his way through a series of minor league coaching roles before moving into his major league assistant pitching coach job in 2022.
For the Guardians, the move adds another layer of turnover to a pitching group that has leaned on continuity in recent seasons. There is no replacement announced yet, leaving one more opening for the club to sort out as it looks to keep its staff intact heading into the next phase of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]