By 8pm ET tonight, the Cleveland Guardians will make a decision on whether or not to tender contracts to six players. Who is in, who is out?
IN:
Steven Kwan, LHH LF, estimated $8.8M – Kwan will 100% be tendered
a contract.
David Fry, RHH C/1B/OF, estimated $1.2M – Fry will be tendered a contract. If they move on from Fry, it’ll be in a trade.
Matt Festa, RHP, estimated $1M – Festa will be tendered a contract. Again, if they move on from Festa, they should be able to trade him for SOMETHING.
PROBABLY IN
Sam Hentges, LHP, estimated $1.3M – I don’t quite know the health status of Hentges recovering from both shoulder and knee injuries. If the team feels optimistic about his recovery status, they’ll definitely tender him a contract. If not, I could definitely see them seeing if he can get through waivers, but it seems likely someone would bet on him getting healthy again.
PROBABLY OUT
Will Brennan, LHH OF, estimated $900K – I think the Guardians may see if they can get Brennan through waivers given he will be recovering from Tommy John surgery for about half of the 2026 season.
Nolan Jones, LHH OF, estimated $2M – I am sure the Guardians’ fanbase as a whole would be thrilled if the Guardians do not tender a contract to Jones, but, again, his underlying metrics make his poor 2026 season a mystery, which may lead them to keep him around for a minute. However, he is set to make around $2 million in arbitration and that seems like reason enough for the team to try to get him through waivers and risk losing him.
So, in conclusion, the Guardians SHOULD have two-three open roster spots after tonight. And, who knows? We may even see a trade or two if we get lucky.
