Guardians lose beloved October folk hero after trade for Blue Jays reliever

In the 2024 MLB postseason, Jhonkensy Noel swung his way into Guardians lore with a game-tying, two-out home run off Luke Weaver in the American League Championship Series. 

It looks like it’s going to stand out as the high water mark for his Guardians career. On Wednesday, the Guardians designated Noel for assignment as the corresponding move for their trade for left-handed reliever Justin Bruihl, who had been DFA’d by the Blue Jays.  

While Noel will forever hold a special place in Cleveland’s heart thanks to that aforementioned home run, he struggled mightily throughout 2025, which led to him eventually being expendable. 

Guardians designate 'Big Christmas' for assignment 

Last year Noel hit just .162 in 69 games with the Guardians and only managed to hit six home runs compared to 52 strikeouts. He finished the year with a strikeout rate of 34% and a whiff rate of 49%, which were among some of the lowest marks in the league. 

That was part of the overall story of his career, as he struck out in nearly 33% of his MLB at-bats since making his debut in 2024. 

That debut was a long-time coming, as the Guardians had to place him on their 40-man roster after the 2021 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft despite the fact that he had yet to play above High-A. 

Noel hit 13 home runs in 63 games with the Guardians in 2024 before mashing his big home run off Weaver in the postseason. 

While the Guardians are dying for any kind of production out of their outfield, Noel’s red flags must have become too much for the Guardians’ front office to ignore. Along with having those strikeout issues, he struggled to field his position in the outfield and wasn’t much better on the infield either. 

The Guardians seem set to give as many outfield at-bats as possible to young players like Chase DeLauter and George Valera, and removing Noel from the roster removes another roadblock in their path. 

Even with those struggles, it’s hard to imagine Noel will go unclaimed through waivers given his power and the fact that he won’t be a free agent until 2031. 

On the other side, the Guardians will insert Bruihl into a revamped bullpen alongside fellow new faces Connor Brogdon, Colin Holderman and Peyton Pallatte. 

He posted a 5.27 ERA in 13 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays last year, and has a career 4.72 ERA in  89 2/3 innings at the major league level. 

Erik Sabrowski and Tim Herrin are the Guardians’ top two left-handed options, and Bruihl will be another depth option.