How this long-forgotten reliever could help the Guardians in 2026

Take yourself back to the start of the 2023 MLB season.

Travis Bazzana had just finished his freshman season at Oregon State and Stephen Vogt had just finished his playing career. Tanner Bibee had yet to throw a pitch in MLB. And Trevor Stephan was a huge part of the Guardians’ future. 

In fact, the Guardians' usually stingy front office thought so highly of his potential that they inked him to a four-year, $10 million deal that spring, which seemingly solidified him as a key part of the Guardians’ future. 

That didn’t end up being the case, however, as Stephan recorded a 4.06 ERA in 68 2/3 innings in 2023. That still stands as the last time we saw Stephan pitch for in the big leagues, as he underwent Tommy John surgery after that season that kept him out for more than a year. 

While he made minor league debut mid-way through 2025, the Guardians made the decision to outright him off the 40-man roster when his rehab clock ended.  

Even though that outright means that Stephan has an uphill battle to make the Guardians’ roster in 2026, he’s already on the books for $3.5 million in 2026 thanks to that aforementioned contract, so he’s a lock to be in the Guardians’ system in 2026. 

And, depending on how he bounces back in the spring, there’s a chance he could end up helping the Guardians at some point in the regular season. 

Trevor Stephan could still get a chance to help the Guardians in 2026

The obvious red flag with Stephan is his numbers from last season, as he posted a 9.51 ERA in 23 2/3 minor league innings including a 11.65 ERA in 17 innings at Triple-A. 

The biggest reason for those struggles has been a loss in velocity, which was happening even before he underwent surgery. In 2022, Stephan’s fastball averaged 96.5 miles per hour before sitting at 94.9 in 2023. His fastball was at 92 miles per hour when he made his return to the minors last year.

That’s obviously a problem, and it’s hard to believe that he’d be able to make it back to the big leagues in 2026 if his velocity continues to sit around there. But any jump in velocity would immediately add some intrigue considering what he did in MLB prior to getting hurt. 

After pitching well for the Guardians in 2021 (the year after they nabbed him from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft), he reached a new level in 2022. In that season, Stephan posted a 2.69 ERA in 63 2/3 innings while working as a valuable set-up man ahead of Emmanuel Clase. While he’s been lapped in the Guardians’ bullpen by guys like Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis, you can never have enough valuable relief arms. 

The Guardians filled up their 40-man roster by acquiring relievers Connor Brogdon, Colin Holderman and Peyton Pallette, it’s hard to imagine any of them standing in the way if Stephan is able to get back to where he was prior to getting hurt. 

Stephan’s in a unique spot in that he’s guaranteed to have a spot in Cleveland’s system thanks to his contract (he’s technically the fifth-highest paid player on the roster), so he’ll have ample opportunities to get back to full health. 

While the majority of Stephan’s contract hasn’t gone the way anyone expected, there’s still a chance for him to add a strong final act — so long as he’s able to get back to full health.