On Friday night, it was reported that the Toronto Blue Jays signed high-end reliever Jeff Hoffman to a three-year, $33 million contract.
Everybody knows that elite relief pitching is very expensive, as a dominant bullpen is a key component in any World Series-caliber roster.
What does this have to do with the Cleveland Guardians? Nothing, or at least not directly with Hoffman.
They do have a World Series-caliber bullpen, though, arguably the best in the league.
We bring up Hoffman because his price puts the Guardians’ elite player development skills in the spotlight for all the right reasons.
“To put this into perspective…. Hoffman gets $11MM a year to close for Toronto. The #Guardians four horsemen bullpen group of Clase, Smith, Gaddis and Herrin will make a combined $6.9MM in 2025,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
To put this into perspective….
Hoffman gets $11MM a year to close for Toronto.
The #Guardians four horsemen bullpen group of Clase, Smith, Gaddis and Herrin will make a combined $6.9MM in 2025.#ForTheLand https://t.co/UUdBYLk4rM
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) January 11, 2025
Yes, the Guardians’ four best relievers, all among the best in the league, will make less than Hoffman in 2025 combined.
And yes, that includes Clase, who has been among MLB’s most dominant relievers for a few years now.
The Guardians all-time saves leader will make $4.9 million this year, in case you were wondering.
Clase’s contract is so team-friendly that many front offices don’t understand how Cleveland managed to get him to sign it.
Part of the answer is that they had faith in him and were willing to invest important resources in one of the most volatile and fragile positions in baseball.
The other three relief stars make near the league minimum and were also products of the Guardians’ elite pitching development lab.
Only Smith was a highly-regarded relief pitching prospect: Gaddis is a ‘failed starter’ and Herrin is a late-round pick.
NEXT: Guardians Infielder Had Another Highly Productive Day In Winter Ball
