Guardians’ guaranteed salaries for 2026 provide reminder of front office’s missteps 

Earlier today, The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel put out a great story (subscription required) highlighting the Guardians payroll for the 2026 season. 

While there was a lot to unpack from the story (if they don’t make any moves and re-sign everyone through arbitration their salary is projected to be $64 million), it also provided another reminder of some of the missteps the Guardians have made in trying to lock down (what they thought) was their core post-COVID. 

Mesiel broke the Guardians’ 2026 payroll into three different categories, with the most important one being “The guaranteed money.” And although it only has four people on it, it’s still quite a list. 

The Guardians' guaranteed money for 2026 features two players not on team's 40-man roster

The first player on the list is José Ramírez, who will make $21 million in the fifth year of the seven-million contract he signed ahead of the 2022 season. Next up is Tanner Bibee, who will make $4.4 million as a part of the five-year, $48 million contract he signed earlier this year at spring training. 

Then it’s two guys who we haven’t seen in a long time. Next up is Trevor Stephan, who is guaranteed to make $3.5 million next season in the final season of the four-year, $10 million contract he signed ahead of the 2023 season. He also has a $7.25 million option for 2027 or a $1.25 million buyout. 

Stephan made his return from Tommy John this season and was sent to Triple-A in July before being outrighted off the 40-man roster two weeks later. He ended up finishing the season with a 9.51 ERA in 23 2/3 innings in the minor leagues, and now will enter spring training as a minor league depth option. 

The Guardians are going to be on the hook for his salary this season regardless, so it makes sense for them to keep him around as a minor league option. 

Lastly, the Guardians are set to pay Myles Straw $2.75 million as a part of the five-year, $25 million contract he signed before 2022. The Guardians also paid $1 million of Straw’s salary this season after they traded him to the Blue Jays in the offseason.

As Mesiel wrote, the $2.75 million figure was likely chosen to account for $1 million of his salary during the season and his $1.75 million buyout at the end of the season. 

While having to account for $6.25 million shouldn’t be a huge deal for most in major league baseball, the Guardians continually rank near the bottom of baseball in terms of spending, so every penny counts with them in a way it may not with other clubs. 

But the glass half full side of it is that the Guardians only have $31.65 million tied up in guaranteed money for next season, which gives them plenty of room to make a big swing in free agency, should they choose. 

They’d likely spend around $20 million if they tendered a contract to all the arbitration-eligible players on their roster, but that likely won’t happen due to injuries and underperformance from some of the players on the list. 

But, regardless of what happens, Stephen and Straw being on the book is a reminder that not every contract extension ages gracefully.