RRosternomics
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Guardians CLE

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GM: Hank Peters

Overview

REBUILD ↘ cooling
cheap & losing · year 6 in this regime · payroll 0.89× league · TAB -6.7
-6.7TAB — talent above budget20th/26
-3.4WAB — realized wins (TAB + luck)16th/26
8.0depth — 2+ WAR regulars10th/26
-6.2dead WAR — sub-replacement drag19th/26
48%dead money %23rd/26
0.475win %14th/26
26.0roster fWAR22nd/26
-4surplus $M (value vs cost)16th/26
$15Mpayroll $M16th/26

Roster

CFMitch Webster 95GAlex Cole 59GStan Jefferson 14G
LFCandy Maldonado 104GMitch Webster 25GDion James 25G
RFCory Snyder 120GCandy Maldonado 41GTurner Ward 13G
SSFelix Fermin 147GCarlos Baerga 48GRafael Santana 7G
2BJerry Browne 139GTom Brookens 21GMark McLemore 11G
3BBrook Jacoby 99GCarlos Baerga 50GTom Brookens 35G
1BBrook Jacoby 78GKeith Hernandez 42GDion James 35G
STARTERSGreg Swindell 2.7WARTom Candiotti 2.3WARJohn Farrell 0.7WARSergio Valdez -0.0WARMike Walker -0.0WAR
CSandy Alomar Jr. 129GJoel Skinner 49G
DHChris James 121GKen Phelps 20GCandy Maldonado 20G
BULLPEN★ Doug Jones 43svJesse Orosco 0hSteve Olin 0hCecilio Guante 0hRudy Seanez 0hColby Ward 0hEfrain Valdez 0hKevin Wickander 0h
CSandy Alomar Jr. 129 · Joel Skinner 49
1BBrook Jacoby 78 · Keith Hernandez 42 · Dion James 35
2BJerry Browne 139 · Tom Brookens 21 · Mark McLemore 11
3BBrook Jacoby 99 · Carlos Baerga 50 · Tom Brookens 35
SSFelix Fermin 147 · Carlos Baerga 48 · Rafael Santana 7
LFCandy Maldonado 104 · Mitch Webster 25 · Dion James 25
CFMitch Webster 95 · Alex Cole 59 · Stan Jefferson 14
RFCory Snyder 120 · Candy Maldonado 41 · Turner Ward 13
DHChris James 121 · Ken Phelps 20 · Candy Maldonado 20
SPGreg Swindell 2.7 · Tom Candiotti 2.3 · John Farrell 0.7 · Sergio Valdez -0.0 · Mike Walker -0.0
BP★ Doug Jones 43 · Jesse Orosco 0 · Steve Olin 0 · Cecilio Guante 0 · Rudy Seanez 0 · Colby Ward 0 · Efrain Valdez 0 · Kevin Wickander 0

Each position lists its starter then backups by games (so platoons & bench show). Starters (mound) & bullpen (left, foul territory) are ranked by WAR; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

1990 roster — value & surplus

PlayerAgeServiceGfWARSalary $MSurplus $M
Brook Jacoby 30 FA-elig 1553.7 1.0 +0.7
Candy Maldonado 29 FA-elig 1553.1 0.8 +0.5
Mitch Webster 31 FA-elig 1282.9 0.6 +0.7
Greg Swindell 25 arb 342.7 0.8 +0.4
Bud Black↔ TOR 33 FA-elig 292.4 0.7 +0.4
Sandy Alomar Jr. 24 pre-arb 1322.4 0.1 +0.9
Jerry Browne 24 arb 1402.3 0.3 +0.7
Tom Candiotti 33 FA-elig 312.3 1.1 -0.0
Alex Cole 24 pre-arb 631.6 0.1 +0.6
Chris James 27 arb 1401.6 0.6 +0.1
Steve Olin 24 pre-arb 501.5 0.1 +0.6
Doug Jones 33 FA-elig 661.4 0.9 -0.3
John Farrell 27 arb 170.7 0.3 +0.0
Felix Fermin 26 arb 1480.6 0.2 +0.1
Turner Ward 25 – 140.5 – –
Carlos Baerga 21 pre-arb 1080.5 0.1 +0.1
Joel Skinner 29 FA-elig 490.5 0.3 -0.1
Jeff Manto 25 pre-arb 300.4 0.1 +0.1
Stan Jefferson↔ BAL 27 arb 490.3 0.1 +0.0
Kevin Wickander 25 pre-arb 100.3 0.1 +0.0
Tom Brookens 36 FA-elig 640.2 0.4 -0.3
Dion James 27 FA-elig 870.1 0.7 -0.6
Mauro Gozzo 24 – 20.0 – –
Sergio Valdez↔ ATL 25 arb 24-0.0 0.1 -0.1
Charles Nagy 23 pre-arb 9-0.0 0.1 -0.1
Mike Walker 23 pre-arb 18-0.0 0.1 -0.1
Rafael Santana 32 FA-elig 7-0.1 0.2 -0.3
Steve Springer 29 – 4-0.1 – –
Jeff Kaiser 29 arb 5-0.1 0.1 -0.2
Beau Allred 25 pre-arb 4-0.1 0.1 -0.2
Colby Ward 26 pre-arb 22-0.2 0.1 -0.2
Efrain Valdez 23 – 13-0.2 – –
Albert Belle 23 pre-arb 9-0.2 0.1 -0.2
Al Nipper 31 – 9-0.2 – –
Rudy Seanez 21 – 24-0.2 – –
Mark McLemore↔ ANA 25 arb 8-0.2 0.0 -0.2
Kevin Bearse 24 pre-arb 3-0.3 0.1 -0.2
Jeff Shaw 23 pre-arb 12-0.4 0.1 -0.3
Jesse Orosco 33 FA-elig 55-0.5 0.8 -1.1
Rod Nichols 25 pre-arb 4-0.5 0.1 -0.3
Ken Phelps↔ OAK 35 FA-elig 24-0.7 0.4 -0.6
Cory Snyder 27 arb 123-0.7 0.7 -1.0
Keith Hernandez 36 FA-elig 43-0.7 1.8 -2.1
Cecilio Guante 30 FA-elig 26-0.8 0.7 -1.0

Key additions (new vs 1989)

PlayerfWAR
Candy Maldonado3.1
Mitch Webster2.9
Sandy Alomar Jr.2.4
Alex Cole1.6
Chris James1.6
Turner Ward0.5

Key subtractions (gone from 1989)

Player1989 fWAR
Joe Carter1.8
Pete O'Brien1.5
Scott Bailes1.2
Brad Komminsk1.2
Ed Wojna0.3
Andy Allanson0.2

Current & Historical Payroll

1990 payroll
$15.1M

What the front office was committed to as of 1990, 1990–1996. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (15)

PlayerAgeSvc1990199119921993199419951996
Keith Hernandez3616.000$1.8MFREE AGENT
Tom Candiotti337.000$1.1M$1.4MFREE AGENT
Brook Jacoby309.000$988k$622k$550kFREE AGENT
Doug Jones338.000$950k$2.0MFREE AGENT
Jesse Orosco3311.000$850k$900kFREE AGENT
Candy Maldonado299.000$825kFREE AGENT$1.2M$1.6M
Bud Black339.000$702kFREE AGENT$350k
Cecilio Guante308.000$650kFREE AGENT
Dion James277.000$650kFREE AGENT
Mitch Webster317.000$600k$407kFREE AGENT
Tom Brookens3611.000$425kFREE AGENT
Ken Phelps3510.000$354kFREE AGENT
Joel Skinner297.000$280k$610kFREE AGENT
Rafael Santana327.000$250kFREE AGENT
Al Nipper317.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (10)

PlayerAgeSvc1990199119921993199419951996
Greg Swindell254.000$840kARB 3FREE AGENT
Cory Snyder274.000$700kARB 3FREE AGENT
Chris James274.000$560kARB 3FREE AGENT
John Farrell273.000$320kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jerry Browne244.000$310kARB 3FREE AGENT
Felix Fermin263.000$190kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Stan Jefferson274.000$129kARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Kaiser295.000$110kFREE AGENT
Sergio Valdez254.000$80kARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark McLemore254.000$50kARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (19)

PlayerAgeSvc1990199119921993199419951996
Albert Belle231.000$117kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Steve Olin241.000$116kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Sandy Alomar Jr.242.000$115kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rod Nichols252.000$112kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Carlos Baerga210.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Bearse240.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Beau Allred251.000$100kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alex Cole240.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Manto250.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Colby Ward260.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Charles Nagy230.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Shaw230.000$100kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Wickander251.000$100kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Walker232.000$100kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mauro Gozzo241.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rudy Seanez211.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Steve Springer29–—
Efrain Valdez23–—
Turner Ward250.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Guardians 1990; the black line = the league-average player at each slot that season. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge; dropping below it = holes & dead weight.

What each regime is worth — every settled team-season since 1985

RegimeSeasonsWin %Playoff %Pennant %WS %
WINDOW 28152.131.05.01.1
CONTEND 30056.964.719.710.3
FORCED-SPEND 25648.09.81.61.6
REBUILD 32143.31.20.30.3
Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.