Guardians ink reliever after strong season with Rangers

The Cleveland Guardians re-signed right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong on Thursday to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million, which includes a mutual option for 2027, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The signing reunites Armstrong with the organization that selected him in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of East Carolina University.

Armstrong, now 35, is coming off a strong relief season with the Texas Rangers in 2025. He appeared in 71 games and worked 74 innings, finishing with a 2.31 ERA. Among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings, Armstrong ranked second in WHIP at 0.81 and third in opponents’ batting average at .157. Only Aroldis Chapman and Mason Miller finished ahead of him in either category. All the deeper numbers checked out as well, including a 3.07 FIP, a 2.96–2.98 expected ERA range, and a 3.36 SIERA. Armstrong struck out 74 batters while issuing just 20 walks, producing a 26.1% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate. He also saved nine games and recorded 12 holds for Texas, despite spending most of his career in a middle-relief role.

Opposing hitters found it hard to pick Armstrong up as he rotated between a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, and sweeper, each making up around 20% to 30% of his arsenal. No pitch allowed a batting average higher than .188 or a slugging percentage above .343. Right-handed hitters batted .113 against him last season, while left-handers hit .234.

Since 2019, he has thrown 363 1/3 innings with a 3.96 ERA, a 24.6% strikeout rate, and a 7.8% walk rate, while keeping his walk rate below 9.2% in six consecutive seasons. As of the start of 2023, he has allowed home runs to just 5.9% of batters faced, one of the lowest rates in the majors.

Cleveland’s bullpen was one of the best in baseball in 2025, finishing with a 3.44 ERA that ranked third in MLB. However, with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase under investigation for gambling-related issues and unlikely to play next season, Armstrong’s addition becomes even more crucial. The Guardians have supplemented the relief corps by adding Justin Bruihl, Colin Holderman, Connor Brogdon, and Rule 5 selection Peyton Pallette, but Armstrong is the most significant financial commitment of the offseason and the highest-profile addition.

Originally pitching for Cleveland from 2015 to 2017 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners for international bonus pool money, Armstrong has since played for eight MLB teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. He owns a career record of 15–11 with a 3.82 ERA in 370 appearances, over 421 innings with 434 strikeouts and 140 walks.

Now back in the city where he got his start, Armstrong will likely take on a big role as the Guardians rebuild their bullpen for 2026.