Shawn Armstrong could still fit into Guardians’ 2027 plans despite Cleveland’s mutual option decision

On Friday night the Guardians kicked off the offseason by pulling off some roster reshuffling ahead of Monday’s start of free agency. And one of those moves kicked reliever Shawn Armstrong into that free agent pool, as the Guardians declined their part of Armstrong’s $8 million mutual option in lieu of a $1.25 million buyout. 

Now Armstrong is going to plunge into free agency on the back of a strong postseason showing for the Guardians that included two starts as an opener against the Rays in the ALCS. His regular season may have been upended by some lower body injuries, but he finished the season on a high note that should help him earn another big league contract for 2027. 

Is there a chance that could come with the Guardians? 

A Shawn Armstrong reunion makes sense for the Guardians

The Guardians signed Armstrong to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Guardians that brought him home after a near-decade roaming the baseball wilderness. Cleveland initially drafted Armstrong in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he recorded 43 1/3 innings out of Cleveland’s bullpen across the 2015, ‘16 and ‘17 seasons before the Guardians traded him to the Mariners for bonus slot money. 

He pitched for seven teams across the next eight seasons. Most of his time in that span was spent with the Rays (he pitched for them when they faced off against Cleveland in the 2022 Wild Card Series), but he was never the biggest name in any of his team’s bullpens.  

That theme carried over to his tenure with the Guardians this season, as he was clearly brought in to be a setup arm in front of Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith. 

He finished the year with a 4.58 ERA in 35 1/3 innings after having to work around a serious calf injury that kept him out for two-plus months. He returned from that injury at the end of the month and ended up becoming a key contributor for the Guardians in the postseason. 

Armstrong finished the postseason with a 1.04 ERA across 8 2/3 innings and was called upon to make two starts in the ALCS against the Rays (which was tied for the team lead with Parker Messick). 

While it may seem like the Guardians took a step toward having Armstrong play elsewhere in 2027 by declining their part of his mutual option, it’s worth remembering that mutual options are almost never picked up. If they hadn’t declined their part of the mutual option, Armstrong likely would have. 

But even though that option got declined, Armstrong still makes sense as a target in free agency since the Guardians are going to need bullpen help. ANd, to Armstrong’s credit, he expressed interest in returning to Cleveland. 

Last offseason the Guardians signing of Armstrong seemed like a misuse of their limited resources because of the help they needed on offense. Now their offense is where it needs to be but their bullpen needs reinforcements. It could be Armstrong’s time to shine again.

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