The Cleveland Guardians had an outstanding year in 2024 and made it all the way to the ALCS, thanks to a dominant bullpen that unfortunately ran out of gas a bit in the playoffs.
The core of that dominant bullpen is slated to return in 2025, but one insider recently revealed one big concern for this roster.
Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes wrote an article Thursday that delves deeper into the state of the team’s bullpen.
He points out that Trevor Stephan and Sam Hentges are both dealing with injuries that could impact the bullpen well into the regular season.
“Relievers Trevor Stephan and Sam Hentges are dealing with injuries. Stephan, recovering from Tommy John surgery, is expected to return at some point this year, but Hentges (left shoulder) could miss the season. All of which puts even more attention on how quickly Clase, Gaddis, Herrin and Smith recover from last year’s workload. It will go along way in determining what kind of season the Guardians have,” Hoynes said.
The Guardians rolled out Hentges, Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, and Tim Herrin for over 74 appearances each last season, and all four had an ERA under 2.0.
It was a level of dominance that is hard to replicate, given how volatile bullpens can be.
If Hentges misses the entire season, it will throw a wrench into the team’s plans.
Hentges’ shoulder issues surely contributed to the Guardians’ signing Paul Sewald to a one-year contract this week for $7 million, a steep price for a declining veteran reliever.
Keep an eye out for updates on this topic, as Hentges being out could shift the team’s outlook for 2025.
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