Contract extension candidates aplenty for the Cleveland Guardians

Sure, these Guardians could get an extension, just probably not right now

Sticking with my pitching theme, let's talk about Triston "Sticks" McKenzie. The guy simply needs to stay healthy for the team to consider him a possible extension candidate. When he's available, Triston has proven to be a very capable starter. The good news in all of this is that McKenzie's injuries only seem to appear in odd years (2021 and 2023). Here's to hoping he rebounds this season!

Kyle Manzardo looks the part. Very soon he and Josh Naylor will be sharing 1B/DH duties for the Guardians; we just have to wait a month or two for that to occur. First base is a tricky position to project, as there have been many youngsters who just don't pan out. However, I'm fairly confident Manzardo has the tools in place to succeed and ultimately join the conversation of extension candidates.

Based on how he performed the second half of last season, Bo Naylor deserves a lifetime contract. But do you know how fiscally irresponsible that would be? For a catcher!?! Bo clearly looks like the solution behind the dish, but he too needs to establish himself just a bit more before I could envision the front office handing him an eight-to-ten-year deal worth $12M+ annually. But again, I cannot emphasize it enough - he's close.