Time to begin the off season speculation, a couple weeks later than most winters.

Step 1: fixing the winter roster. With 4 pitchers on the 60-day IL we start with 44 to whittle down to 40. the 4 are Bieber Hentges Karinchak and Stephan.

since we have 4 pending free agents, they come off the roster unless or until signed: Bieber, Boyd, Cobb and Hedges.

So we're back to 40 before any free agents are signed including our own and minor leaguers added before the Rule 5 draft.

I can't imagine they'd sign Cobb, it certainly would not be a surprise if he retires.
They like Hedges but perhaps could get him back on a minor league contract.
It would be nice to have Boyd back for a full season.
Bieber and agent will probably play the field.

Of the other 40, who would I not mind dropping?

1. Peter Strzelecki, didn't realize he was still on thre roster.
2. Connor Gillespie ditto; he was OK but if they want him back he should be available as minor league invitee
3. Karinchak? He finally got some game time in the final few weeks in Columbus. If he's close to his old form we'd want hm back. Is he?
4. Myles Strawl they still have to pay him next year but he has approximately no value. I was really impressed with his 2024 debut: picked off base immediately after entering as a pinch runner.

The Guardians sent outfielder Myles Straw outright to Triple-A Columbus, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Cleveland successfully ran him through waivers once the offseason got underway, removing him from the 40-man roster.

Straw was a lock to go unclaimed because of his contract. A team would’ve needed to assume the remaining $14.75MM in guaranteed money. Straw has cleared waivers twice this year. Cleveland outrighted him just before Opening Day. He spent almost the entire season in Triple-A. The Guards reselected his contract in mid-September but presumably always planned to take him back off the roster at year’s end.

Cleveland inked Straw to that deal early in the 2022 season. He’d posted a solid year in ’21, hitting .271/.349/.348 while stealing 30 bases and playing plus defense in center field. The Guardians reasoned that his speed and glove gave him a solid floor despite minimal power. His bat completely cratered over the next two seasons. Straw combined for only one home run with a .229/.296/.284 line from 2022-23. He didn’t hit in Triple-A this year, either, running a .240/.321/.329 mark against upper minors pitching.

As a player with less than five years of major league service, Straw would forfeit his contract to test free agency. He’s obviously not going to do that, so the Guards can keep him in Triple-A as a depth option. He only made seven MLB appearances this year, collecting one hit in four at-bats. He stole two bases in as many attempts.

We can only hope he is part of the Josh Naylor trade package.

If they trade him they'll have to commit to paying nearly all his salary.
Next to go will likely be Szelecz and Gillesepie who I forgot were even on the roster.

No Fry for at least a couple of months give J.Rodriguez a role to claim in Spring Training. Of course it also opens a spot to fill by trade.

Of course G's decline offering Bieber a $21M qualifying offer. They would have feared he would accept it.

civ ollilavad wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2024 11:09 am No Fry for at least a couple of months give J.Rodriguez a role to claim in Spring Training. Of course it also opens a spot to fill by trade.

Do not see that role. Noel, Manzardo and DeLauter in front of him.

The role I'm looking at is someone who hits right handed to serve as DH. Noel is already in RF. Manzardo is the Lefty DH. When DeLauter is ready, he gets RF and Noel becomes DH if he resumes hitting [always a chance he'll be a one and done star like Oscar G and others]. At least for awhile there's a roster space for a RH bat. JRod will get a chance.

Vote for Silver Glove winners here:

https://www.rawlings.com/gold-glove-platinum.html

Kwan is excellent but I think Giminez deserves the award again this year so he got my vote.
Deadline is midnight tonight

Guardians gave up on the possibility of George Valera being anything like the No. 1 prospect he was a few years back. He had slipped to No. 20 on recent lists; he's played more than 90 games once in his career. And he ran into a wall in August after having his best month in years; and is out at least until May, with a history of taking longer than projected to recover from his many medical procedures. He'd be added to the 40 man roster several years back and was down to one option and would not be bale to be sent down without being released in '26.
He's still only 25 so he could turn out to be Anthony Santander but the latter had only one serious injury and he returned quickly and developed his abilities.
The first Rule 5 Draft Preview at BA does not include Valera. I would expect any team interested in him to wait until next offseason when he'll be a free no-restrictions minor league free agent. Unless he may be already.

Ryan Webb LH starter was left unprotected. His scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Webb flashed second-round upside in his fourth college season at Georgia in 2021, highlighted by 13 strikeouts in a duel with Vanderbilt and No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter in April, but he blew out his elbow a month later and required Tommy John surgery. The Guardians drafted him in the fourth round and handled him with care in his first full pro season before turning him loose in 2023. He led the Arizona Fall League with 36 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings last offseason and is challenging for the lead in whiffs in the Double-A Eastern League this summer.

Webb's best offering is a plus upper-70s curveball with depth, though he uses it mainly against right-handers and less often than the other three average pitches in his arsenal. His fastball usually ranges form 91-94 mph and tops out at 96, lacking notable action but showing some carry when he locates it up in the zone. His low-80s slider has good depth and his low-80s changeup tumbles when it's on.

When he was in college, Webb's upright delivery and lack of durability led many scouts to project him as a reliever. He's doing a better job of getting down the mound and piling up innings as a pro, and his control and command continue to improve. He has a ceiling of a No. 4 or 5 starter with a fallback as a multi-inning lefty reliever who can get righties out.

Not on the BA Rule 5 top prospects list but he sounds to me like a not unreasonable choice to work in a bullpen in '25 and then get back to the minors to perhaps redevelop into a starter thereafter

Petey Halpin fills the Myles Straw role on the roster: a very good defender who doesn't hit much. He did reach double figures in homers with 12 this season, his second at Akron, but his AA OPS of 713 isn't very impressive and for a fast runner he's not much of a basestealer successful 12 in 19 attempts this year.

Actually I guess it's impossible to compare anyone with Straw: his entire professional career homer total minors and majors is 13 i 1154 games. He's from a different era.

https://x.com/i/status/1860072857746964795

Link to Skubal talking about the Guardians crowd !