TODAY : Straw cleared waivers and accepted an outright Michel Otanez Jersey a signment to Triple-A, according to . MARCH 22 : The Guardians have placed center fielder on waivers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Any team will have the opportunity to claim him, although doing so would require taking on the entirety of the three years and $19.25MM still remaining on his contract. That appears quite unlikely. Straw figures to clear waivers, at which point the Guardians could a sign him outright to a minor league affiliate. While Straws 4.112 years of MLB service time give him the right to reject that outright a signment, hes still short of the five years nece sary to reject an outright and retain the money hes owed. Theres no chance hed forfeit that $19.25MM to go into free agency, so the likely outcome seems to be Straw clearing and heading to Triple-A Columbus while no longer occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. Its also feasible that the Guardians could simply be gauging whether theres a taker for Straw and, if not, could simply plug him back into their center field spot. He can be optioned to Triple-A if the club keeps him on the 40-man roster. A player does not have to be a signed outright to a minor league affiliate after clearing waivers (though thats obviously the most common outcome). With Straw in limbo for the time being, that leaves and as locks in the Cleveland outfield. The former will see regular reps in left field. The latter had been slated for right field work but can handle center. Its also po sible the Guards will go with and/or to fill outfield roles. Infielder has also gotten looks in center this spring. Brennan has all three minor league option years remaining, while Florial is out of minor league options. Top outfield prospect could be an option eventually, but he was never a full-time member of big league camp and was only called up on occasion to fill at-bats as needed, Meisel notes. He was never a consideration to make the Opening Day roster. Cleveland originally acquired Straw in a now-regrettable 2021 deadline swap sending right-hander and catcher to the Astros. He made a strong first impre sion, hitting .285/.362/.377 with plus defense and baserunning down the stretch. That brought his season-long line to a solid .271/.349/.348 just shy of league-average production (98 wRC+). Paired with Straws speed and glovework, it was a strong effort that served as a catalyst for the Guards to sign him to a five-year, $25MM extension with a pair of club options for two additional seasons. Unfortunately, Straws bat has cratered since putting pen to paper on that deal. Over the past two seasons, hes turned in just a .229/.296/.284 in 1114 trips to the plate. Thats about 32% worse than average, by measure of wRC+. Straw is a light-out defender in center (23 Defensive Runs Saved, 17 Outs Above Average over the past two seasons) and offers blazing speed (41-for-48 in steals since 2022), but his lack of offensive ability has severely capped his overall value. For an immensely cost-conscious Guardians club, his contract has apparently reached a point where theyll see if another club is willing to take him on for no return other than salary relief. Billy North Jersey
TODAY : Straw cleared waivers and accepted an outright Michel Otanez Jersey a signment to Triple-A, according to . MARCH 22 : The Guardians have placed center fielder on waivers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Any team will have the opportunity to claim him, although doing so would require taking on the entirety of the three years and $19.25MM still remaining on his contract. That appears quite unlikely. Straw figures to clear waivers, at which point the Guardians could a sign him outright to a minor league affiliate. While Straws 4.112 years of MLB service time give him the right to reject that outright a signment, hes still short of the five years nece sary to reject an outright and retain the money hes owed. Theres no chance hed forfeit that $19.25MM to go into free agency, so the likely outcome seems to be Straw clearing and heading to Triple-A Columbus while no longer occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. Its also feasible that the Guardians could simply be gauging whether theres a taker for Straw and, if not, could simply plug him back into their center field spot. He can be optioned to Triple-A if the club keeps him on the 40-man roster. A player does not have to be a signed outright to a minor league affiliate after clearing waivers (though thats obviously the most common outcome). With Straw in limbo for the time being, that leaves and as locks in the Cleveland outfield. The former will see regular reps in left field. The latter had been slated for right field work but can handle center. Its also po sible the Guards will go with and/or to fill outfield roles. Infielder has also gotten looks in center this spring. Brennan has all three minor league option years remaining, while Florial is out of minor league options. Top outfield prospect could be an option eventually, but he was never a full-time member of big league camp and was only called up on occasion to fill at-bats as needed, Meisel notes. He was never a consideration to make the Opening Day roster. Cleveland originally acquired Straw in a now-regrettable 2021 deadline swap sending right-hander and catcher to the Astros. He made a strong first impre sion, hitting .285/.362/.377 with plus defense and baserunning down the stretch. That brought his season-long line to a solid .271/.349/.348 just shy of league-average production (98 wRC+). Paired with Straws speed and glovework, it was a strong effort that served as a catalyst for the Guards to sign him to a five-year, $25MM extension with a pair of club options for two additional seasons. Unfortunately, Straws bat has cratered since putting pen to paper on that deal. Over the past two seasons, hes turned in just a .229/.296/.284 in 1114 trips to the plate. Thats about 32% worse than average, by measure of wRC+. Straw is a light-out defender in center (23 Defensive Runs Saved, 17 Outs Above Average over the past two seasons) and offers blazing speed (41-for-48 in steals since 2022), but his lack of offensive ability has severely capped his overall value. For an immensely cost-conscious Guardians club, his contract has apparently reached a point where theyll see if another club is willing to take him on for no return other than salary relief. Billy North Jersey