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Guardians CLE

201891–71 (0.562)Made Playoffs
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President of baseball ops: Chris Antonetti · GM: Mike Chernoff

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2018, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$143M
Surplus $M
+20
Win %
0.562
TAB
+12.5
WAB
+7.9
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
47.8
Dead money %
38%
Depth Players
9.0
Dead WAR
-5.4

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2018 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RYan Gomes111
RRoberto Pérez58
REric Haase7
BFrancisco Mejía⇄1

1B

LYonder Alonso138
REdwin Encarnación23
RErik González9
RYandy Díaz9
RAdam Rosales5

2B

LJason Kipnis131
RErik González30
BJosé Ramírez16
RAdam Rosales4
RBrandon Barnes1

3B

BJosé Ramírez137
RErik González20
RJosh Donaldson⇄12
RYandy Díaz9
RAdam Rosales3

SS

BFrancisco Lindor157
RErik González16
RAdam Rosales2

LF

LMichael Brantley134
RRajai Davis30
RBrandon Guyer21
LTyler Naquin5
BMelky Cabrera4
BGreg Allen3
RBrandon Barnes2

CF

BGreg Allen78
RRajai Davis47
LBradley Zimmer34
LTyler Naquin19
LJason Kipnis14
LLeonys Martin⇄6
RBrandon Guyer3
RBrandon Barnes2

RF

RBrandon Guyer76
BMelky Cabrera68
LTyler Naquin39
LLonnie Chisenhall28
RBrandon Barnes16
BGreg Allen16
RRajai Davis2
LLeonys Martin⇄1

DH

REdwin Encarnación115
RYandy Díaz16
RRajai Davis12
LMichael Brantley7
BMelky Cabrera4
RJosh Donaldson⇄4
BJosé Ramírez4
RRoberto Pérez4
REric Haase2
RErik González2
RBrandon Guyer1
BFrancisco Lindor1
LJason Kipnis1
BGreg Allen1
LTyler Naquin1
RYan Gomes1
LYonder Alonso1

Starters

RTrevor Bauer5.8 WAR
RCorey Kluber5.4 WAR
RCarlos Carrasco5.3 WAR
RMike Clevinger4.1 WAR
RShane Bieber2.8 WAR
RAdam Plutko-0.3 WAR
RJosh Tomlin-1.4 WAR

Bullpen

★ LBrad Hand⇄32 sv
LOliver Perez15 h
RNeil Ramirez13 h
LAndrew Miller10 h
RCody Allen7 h
LTyler Olson5 h
RDan Otero1 h
RZach McAllister⇄0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 2017)

PlayerfWAR
Shane Bieber2.8
Oliver Pérez1.0
Josh Donaldson0.5
Brad Hand0.5
Leonys Martin0.2
Evan Marshall0.1

Key subtractions (gone from 2017)

Player2017 fWAR
Carlos Santana2.9
Austin Jackson1.9
Bryan Shaw1.5
Joe Smith0.8
Jay Bruce0.6
Michael Martinez0.1

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Guardians. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 2018; everyone else is shown as a 2018 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Trevor Bauer 2018 +5.8 +115.8 6.5 +109.2 $1.1M 2.50× –
Carlos Carrasco 2018 +5.3 +106.4 8.0 +98.4 $1.5M 2.50× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $1.5M AAV
Corey Kluber 2018 +5.4 +108.0 10.7 +97.3 $2.0M 2.50× –
Francisco Lindor 2018 +7.8 +94.0 0.6 +93.3 $0.1M 1.51× Extension · 2022–2031 · $34.1M AAV
José Ramírez 2018 +7.6 +87.0 2.8 +84.2 $0.4M 1.43× Extension · 2026–2032 · $25.0M AAV
Mike Clevinger 2018 +4.1 +72.4 0.6 +71.9 $0.1M 2.19× –
Shane Bieber 2018 +2.8 +43.3 0.3 +43.1 $0.1M 1.96× Free Agent · 2025–2026 · $13.0M AAV
Michael Brantley 2018 +3.5 +50.3 11.5 +38.8 $3.3M 1.79× –
Yan Gomes 2018 +2.6 +21.2 6.0 +15.1 $2.3M 1.00× –
Oliver Pérez 2018 +1.0 +5.5 1.8 +3.8 $1.7M 0.67× –
Brad Hand↔ 2018 +0.5 +5.1 1.7 +3.4 $3.5M 1.34× –
Greg Allen 2018 +0.5 +3.5 0.3 +3.2 $0.7M 0.83× –
Yandy Díaz 2018 +0.3 +1.9 0.2 +1.7 $0.5M 0.69× Extension · 2026–2027 · $12.0M AAV
Tyler Olson 2018 +0.4 +1.9 0.5 +1.4 $1.5M 0.67× –
Leonys Martin↔ 2018 +0.2 +1.5 0.1 +1.3 $0.6M 0.83× –
Bradley Zimmer 2018 +0.3 +1.7 0.6 +1.2 $2.1M 0.83× –
Brandon Barnes 2018 +0.1 +0.8 0.1 +0.7 $0.7M 0.83× –
Evan Marshall 2018 +0.1 +0.6 0.2 +0.4 $2.1M 0.67× –
Adam Rosales 2018 +0.1 +0.4 0.1 +0.3 $1.0M 0.56× –
Oliver Drake↔ 2018 +0.0 +0.2 0.1 +0.2 $1.2M 0.67× –
Ben Taylor 2018 -0.0 -0.2 0.0 -0.2 – 0.67× –
Roberto Pérez 2018 +0.3 +1.3 1.6 -0.3 $5.1M 0.52× –
Matt Belisle↔ 2018 -0.0 -0.0 0.4 -0.4 – 0.67× –
Alexi Ogando 2018 -0.1 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 – 0.67× –
George Kontos↔ 2018 -0.0 -0.0 0.6 -0.6 – 0.67× –
Jon Edwards 2018 -0.1 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 – 0.67× –
Melky Cabrera 2018 +0.0 +0.3 1.0 -0.7 $22.0M 0.83× –
Brandon Guyer 2018 +0.3 +1.7 2.8 -1.1 $10.8M 0.83× –
Eric Haase 2018 -0.3 -1.1 0.1 -1.1 – 0.52× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $1.6M AAV
Marc Rzepczynski↔ 2018 +0.0 +0.1 1.2 -1.1 $56.6M 0.67× –
Erik González 2018 -0.2 -0.7 0.5 -1.3 – 0.56× –
Neil Ramírez 2018 -0.2 -1.3 0.4 -1.7 – 0.67× –
Jeff Beliveau 2018 -0.3 -1.8 0.0 -1.8 – 0.67× –
Adam Cimber↔ 2018 -0.4 -2.1 0.2 -2.3 – 0.67× –
Nick Goody 2018 -0.4 -2.0 0.6 -2.6 – 0.67× –
Zach McAllister↔ 2018 -0.1 -0.4 2.3 -2.6 – 0.67× –
Dan Otero 2018 -0.3 -1.7 1.1 -2.8 – 0.67× –
Lonnie Chisenhall 2018 +0.4 +2.8 5.6 -2.8 $13.2M 0.83× –
Adam Plutko 2018 -0.3 -2.8 0.2 -3.1 – 1.02× –
Josh Donaldson↔ 2018 +0.5 +2.5 7.1 -4.6 $13.3M 0.58× –
Tyler Naquin 2018 -0.6 -4.3 0.6 -4.8 – 0.83× –
Andrew Miller 2018 +0.3 +3.7 9.0 -5.3 $26.3M 1.34× –
Rajai Davis 2018 -0.5 -3.6 1.8 -5.4 – 0.83× –
Yonder Alonso 2018 +0.1 +0.4 7.0 -6.6 $80.6M 0.56× –
Jason Kipnis 2018 +1.4 +6.0 13.7 -7.6 $10.1M 0.56× –
Josh Tomlin 2018 -1.4 -7.3 3.0 -10.3 – 0.67× –
Cody Allen 2018 -0.1 -1.1 10.6 -11.6 – 1.34× –
Edwin Encarnación 2018 +1.3 +7.0 18.7 -11.6 $14.8M 0.69× –
Francisco Mejía↔ 2018 +0.0 +0.0 0.0 +0.0 $0.4M 0.52× –
Total—+47.7+715.9143.0+573.4—

Trades

Every graded 2018 deal involving the Guardians — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 12 total.

2018 · TOR / CLE
TOR · Mark Shapiro +$18.4M
Julian Merryweather
CLE · Chris Antonetti −$18.4M
Josh Donaldson
TOR came out ahead by $18.4M
2018 · DET / CLE
DET · Al Avila +$8.0M
Willi Castro
CLE · Chris Antonetti −$8.0M
Leonys Martín, Kyle Dowdy
DET came out ahead by $8.0M
2018 · CLE / PIT
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$22.4M
Jordan Luplow, Max Moroff
PIT · Neal Huntington −$22.4M
Erik González, Tahnaj Thomas, Dante Mendoza
CLE came out ahead by $22.4M
2018 · CLE / TOR
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$1.6M
cash / PTBNL
TOR · Mark Shapiro −$1.6M
Gio Urshela
CLE came out ahead by $1.6M
2018 · TBR / CLE
TBR · Erik Neander +$0.0M
Gionti Turner
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$0.0M
Chih-Wei Hu
Even trade
2018 · CLE / STL
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$11.2M
Óscar Mercado
STL · John Mozeliak −$11.2M
Conner Capel, Jhon Torres
CLE came out ahead by $11.2M
2018 · CLE / CHW
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$6.4M
Alex Call
CHW · Kenny Williams −$6.4M
Yonder Alonso
CLE came out ahead by $6.4M
2018 · HOU / CLE
HOU · Jeff Luhnow +$0.0M
Tommy DeJuneas
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$0.0M
James Hoyt
Even trade
2018 · TBR / SEA / CLE
TBR · Erik Neander +$186.4M
Yandy Díaz, Cole Sulser
SEA · Jerry Dipoto −$14.4M
Edwin Encarnación
CLE · Chris Antonetti −$172.0M
Carlos Santana, Jake Bauers
TBR came out ahead by $186.4M 3-team
2018 · WSN / CLE
WSN · Michael Rizzo +$1.6M
Yan Gomes
CLE · Chris Antonetti −$1.6M
Jefry Rodríguez, Daniel Johnson, Andruw Monasterio
WSN came out ahead by $1.6M
2018 · SDP / CLE
SDP · AJ Preller +$0.0M
Ignacio Feliz
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$0.0M
Walker Lockett
Even trade
2018 · CLE / SDP
CLE · Chris Antonetti +$20.8M
Brad Hand, Adam Cimber
SDP · AJ Preller −$20.8M
Francisco Mejía
CLE came out ahead by $20.8M

Current & Historical Payroll

2018 payroll
$142.8M
2019 guaranteed
$0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2018, 2018–2024. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2018; arbitration & free-agent years are projected from service time. Hover a figure for its luxury-tax (CBT) & actual-cash values.

current $ guaranteed $ arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent club option player option mutual option vesting option

Guaranteed / signed (15)

PlayerAgeSvc2018201920202021202220232024
Edwin Encarnación3512.085$18.7MFREE AGENT
Jason Kipnis316.069$13.7MFREE AGENT
Michael Brantley317.131$11.5MFREE AGENT
Andrew Miller339.062$9.0MFREE AGENT
Carlos Carrasco316.147$8.0MFREE AGENT
Yonder Alonso316.116$7.0MFREE AGENT
Josh Tomlin337.033$3.0MFREE AGENT
Zach McAllister307.000$2.3MFREE AGENT
Oliver Pérez3613.144$1.8MFREE AGENT
Rajai Davis3710.167$1.8MFREE AGENT
Marc Rzepczynski329.000$1.2MFREE AGENT
Melky Cabrera3311.148$1.0MFREE AGENT
Matt Belisle3812.019$364kFREE AGENT
Adam Rosales357.163$100kFREE AGENT
Alexi Ogando346.032$100kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (15)

PlayerAgeSvc2018201920202021202220232024
Corey Kluber325.074$10.7MFREE AGENT
Cody Allen295.076$10.6MFREE AGENT
Josh Donaldson325.158$7.1MFREE AGENT
Trevor Bauer273.158$6.5MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Yan Gomes305.083$6.0MFREE AGENT
Lonnie Chisenhall295.158$5.6MFREE AGENT
José Ramírez253.074$2.8MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Brandon Guyer325.066$2.8MFREE AGENT
Brad Hand284.092$1.7MARB 3FREE AGENT
Roberto Pérez293.083$1.6MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dan Otero334.124$1.1MARB 3FREE AGENT
George Kontos334.171$584kARB 3FREE AGENT
Neil Ramírez293.034$407kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Leonys Martin304.161$125kARB 3FREE AGENT
Brandon Barnes323.097$79kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (19)

PlayerAgeSvc2018201920202021202220232024
Francisco Lindor242.113$623kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tyler Naquin271.032$565kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Nick Goody261.160$562kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Clevinger271.040$558kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bradley Zimmer250.139$551kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tyler Olson280.126$548kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Erik González261.007$548kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Greg Allen250.031$343kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Shane Bieber230.000$284kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Evan Marshall282.022$249kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Adam Plutko260.028$240kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Adam Cimber270.000$218kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Yandy Díaz260.068$158kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jon Edwards301.141$88kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Eric Haase250.000$88kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Oliver Drake311.094$50kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Beliveau312.033$41kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ben Taylor250.085$26kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Francisco Mejía220.031$4kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 2018 acquisition stacked onto Guardians's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, 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).
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