Contract extension candidates aplenty for the Cleveland Guardians

Bonus round: Other guys who could join the conversation soon

Spring training phenom Chase DeLauter won't be in the minors too long, as his service time is simply being manipulated. But know what could solve that issue? An eight-year deal! Even if that's not in the cards this offseason, DeLauter is on a short list of minor leaguers in the system who will vault to the top of extension talks in the future.

Our final extension candidate is a player not even in the Guardians system. But whomever the club ends up selecting first overall (Charlie Condon, Travis Bazzana, Chase Burns, etc), assuming they are a college player, should rocket through the system and be looking at breaking the big-league roster by 2026. Furthermore, if that player does pan out as expected, they'll likely be in consideration for an extension of their own.

This is by no means an exhaustive list; Logan Allen wasn't even mentioned. And it's highly conceivable that other pitchers prove themselves this season either in the rotation or pen, thus entering the extension conversation. Maybe there is a free agent the Guardians go all in on and that changes their plans too (Juan Soto? Hey, we can dream). But like many things with this club, we will have to wait and see how things shake out before we can speak with any level of certainly on many prospects.