The king has returned: Cleveland Guardians re-sign RHP Bryan Shaw

As expected, the Cleveland Guardians have re-signed reliever Bryan Shaw to a one-year deal.

This was, of course, an inevitability, but the move is now official: right-handed reliever Bryan Shaw will once again pitch for the Cleveland Guardians.

Shaw, 34, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the team with an option for next season, and can make up to $9 million if he hits incentives and his 2023 option is exercised. In his second stint with the team last season, Shaw led all of baseball with 81 appearances, riding his rubber arm to a higher velocity and a 3.49 ERA. As the appearances racked up early and often in the season, Shaw began to seem worn down and wasn’t as effective, but ultimately provided valuable innings the entire way.

Shaw also spent the 2013-17 seasons with Cleveland, leading all of baseball in appearances twice and leading the AL in appearances with 75 during the team’s 2016 World Series run. In his six years with the Indians/Guardians, Shaw has a 3.18 ERA over 436 innings and is known for consistently eating up valuable innings over the course of a long season – and doing so in pressure-packed situations to boot.

“Uncle Bryan,” as he’s become known to the younger players on the team, will once again be expected to be the stabilizing veteran presence in the bullpen, guiding what looks to be a very young relief corps in 2022.