Guardians sign closer Emmanuel Clase to five-year, $20M deal

Before beginning the regular season under their new and polarizing name Thursday afternoon at the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Guardians gave fans multiple reasons to smile. 

Reports surfaced Wednesday morning that the Guardians locked down three-time All-Star infielder Jose Ramirez via a five-year contract extension that's worth $124 million and carries a full no-trade clause. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported Cleveland signed closer Emmanuel Clase to a five-year, $20 million deal that includes club options for 2027 and 2028 at $10 million per campaign. 

Clase missed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after he was suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs but produced a stellar 2021 campaign during his first year with the Guardians. The 24-year-old appeared in 71 games as a rookie and tallied 24 saves and 74 strikeouts with a 1.29 ERA across 69.2 innings of work. 

Per Mandy Bell of the team's website, Clase was set to hit free agency in 2027 before Thursday's developments. 

"We were really excited that we were able to reach an agreement with Emmanuel," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters before Thursday's Opening Day festivities. "We felt he established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball last year, and you know, he'll be a core part of our bullpen moving forward."

While speaking through a translator, Clase added he's thankful the Guardians have given him an opportunity to serve in his desired role of closer.

"This is a great way to secure my family and guarantee I will compete with this team for a long time," Clase said.