The Cleveland Guardians decided, on Monday, to call up top outfield prospect Johnathan Rodriguez.
To create a spot on the active roster, they removed fellow outfielder Ramon Laureano from it.
Laureano, of course, wasn’t really producing, but he has a significant salary attached to him that makes him unlikely to be claimed off waivers in the standard process.
His 2024 salary is a hefty (for his production and for common Guardians standards) $5.15 million.
If another team claims him, that squad will be responsible for what is left of that salary (most of it, since it’s still May).
If not (the most likely scenario), then the Guardians will be on the hook for that money.
Laureano will not be the only player who is not on Cleveland’s roster that is receiving payments from them, though.
“Assuming nobody claims Laureano, the Guardians will have $18.5 M invested in Laureano, Myles Straw, and Jean Segura in 2024,” Guardians of the Land tweeted.
Assuming nobody claims Laureano, the Guardians will have $18.5 M invested in Laureano, Myles Straw, and Jean Segura in 2024.
— Guardians of The Land (@OurCLEGuardians) May 20, 2024
Those three players represent rare losses for an otherwise excellent front office.
The Straw extension was probably among the most painful, given the fact it was evident he couldn’t hit.
Still, every major league team has to deal with these cases from time to time.
It’s the nature of the game: nobody has 100 percent effectiveness in payroll and roster decisions.
Of course, these are the minority compared to the Guardians’ recent wins.
They signed Emmanuel Clase to one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league, they managed to extend Jose Ramirez to a very affordable contract for a star, and they also extended Andres Gimenez, just to name a few of their hits.
Laureano just wasn’t hitting and was starting to block core pieces, so him being taken from the roster was best for all parties.
NEXT: Guardians Place Veteran Pitcher On The Injured List
