The Cleveland Guardians, on Tuesday evening, added another arm to their starting pitching depth chart.
No, it wasn’t a major league deal, so there are no guarantees that the pitcher will make the Opening Day rotation.
In fact, the odds are against him.
It’s never a bad idea to add more pitchers to the equation, though, especially one that has been a successful major leaguer in the past like Vince Velasquez.
Vince Velasquez to Guardians, pending. Minors deal. Invite to MLB camp
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 4, 2025
The deal contains a $1.5 million salary if he makes the Guardians roster, and could reach $2.5 million if certain incentives are met.
It’s actually very similar to the contract that former Guardians Carlos Carrasco signed with the New York Yankees this week.
Velasquez, however, is younger than Carrasco at 32 years old and also has more upside.
He last pitched in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023.
That summer, he required elbow surgery that took him out of action for the 2024 campaign.
That year, Velasquez had a 3.86 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched, with 14 walks and 37 strikeouts.
He was deployed as a starter, which is probably the role that the Guardians have in mind for him.
Cleveland has Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis L. Ortiz, Slade Cecconi, Ben Lively, Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen, and now Velasquez competing for five spots in the rotation, with Shane Bieber joining them when he gets healthy.
It will be an uphill battle for Velasquez, but he has a shot at getting one of the last few spots.
NEXT: Projection System Gives Guardians Shockingly Low World Series Chances
