The one contract situation Guardians fans might've forgotten about for 2026

Not much went wrong for the Guardians this September. Their pitching staff was one of the best units in baseball, their offense did just enough to eke out wins and they ended up clinching the American League Central. 

And while that magical run was great for the fanbase, it left John Means on the sideline in a way that could have a huge impact this offseason. 

After spending all of 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Means seemed to be tracking toward making his major league return at some point while the Guardians played out the string at the end of the season. But then Cleveland got red hot and employed a six-man rotation, which left Means on the outside looking in. 

Now the Guardians need to make a decision about his $6 million team option for 2026 without having any major league data to go off of. 

The Guardians backed themselves into a corner when it comes to John Means 

The Guardians signed Means before spring training to a one-year, $1 million contract for 2025 with a $6 million player option for 2026. The deal allowed for Means to be with the Guardians while he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery with the intention of having him make his debut at the end of 2025 and help fortify the rotation in 2026.

While that major league debut never came, he ended up making it to Triple-A, where he had a 7.97 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. Now the Guardians have until five days after the World Series ends to make a decision about his $6 million option for next season. 

Means kept throwing with the Guardians after his season ended and was more of a presence in the dugout and clubhouse as the season went on and his rehab shifted closer to Cleveland, but the front office will have a tough decision to make about Means’ future. 

While they had a six-man rotation at the end of the season, all it takes is one injury for things to go sideways. But Cleveland’s front office would likely rather be making a decision about Means based on what he did on the mound at Progressive Field as opposed to Huntington Park’s. 

One option they could consider (as pointed out by The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel) is pick up his option and then use him as trade bait over the winter. They wouldn’t be able to get much for him, but his $6 million price tag may not be much for some of the other pitcher-needy franchises in baseball. 

Means can be one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, as evidenced by him having an All-Star nod and no-hitter on his résumé. But he’s also only made 10 starts since the beginning of the 2022 season and didn’t have great results in Triple-A last year. 

The Guardians don’t have a ton of money tied in contracts for 2026 so Means’ contract wouldn’t break the bank, but ownership may not be big fans of spending $6 million on a player who hasn’t been a regular contributor since 2021. 

It won’t be long until we find out the decision they want to make. It may end up determining the path the Guardians take this offseason.