Cleveland Guardians lose fan favorite reliever to Toronto Blue Jays

The Cleveland Guardians signed countless new bullpen arms this offseason, but couldn't keep the home-grown prospect whose heart-warming story of defying adversity became a fan favorite.

On Wednesday, Dec. 31, it was announced that the Guardians lost right-handed pitcher Nic Enright to the Toronto Blue Jays on a two-year minor league deal. The 28-year-old looked sharp in the 2025 campaign, pitching in 31 innings of major league ball for an ERA of 2.03. However, he's slated to be off the field for, more than likely, the entirety of the 2026 season due to Tommy John surgery.

In November, the Guardians designated him for assignment.

His journey was one that drew eyes from all over the country, not just the ones familiar with the Guardians and their 20th-round selection in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft. Roughly three years ago, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, battling to get back to the mound and continue to fight for his dream of playing major league baseball.

He spent a total of six seasons in minor league ball, working his way through the trials and tribulations of rehabilitation to be able to make his major league debut last season.

"There were some dark days, and that's when I leaned on all those people around me," Enright said. "The biggest thing was not letting cancer control me and not letting it dictate how I was going to live my life."

Here's an RP I like as MiLB depth: Nic Enright.

Enright, 28, has a phenomenal story -- he battled Stage 2 Hodgkins' Lymphoma and suffered through trials and tribulations to make his debut last year.

He performed well at AAA + MLB in 2025, powered by an above-avg 2-pitch combo: pic.twitter.com/22G17CLCQN
— Remi Bunikiewicz (@RBunikiewicz) December 17, 2025

While he has only pitched for a total of 61 innings the past two seasons, he's shown signs of being a really reliable reliever. Yes, his new Tommy John injury is going to hinder his development a bit longer as he will be nearing the age of 30 when he returns, but his story and drive alone warrants a chance from any organization in baseball.

Obviously, the Blue Jays agree with that sentiment as a two-year minor league deal allows him to get back up to speed and rehab this year, before returning to the mound in 2027.

However, it hurts to see that the Guardians weren't willing to keep him around.

Earlier this season, manager Stephen Vogt highlighted how special of a story Enright's is, especially with him being able to make his major league debut with the team that drafted him nearly six years ago.

"You can't draw it up. It's just one of those cool things," manager Stephen Vogt said. "Just to see all that he's persevered through different organizations, coming back to Cleveland and getting to make his major league debut with the Guardians.

"It was a really special day for Nic and his family and really fortunate we were there to watch it."

He's got a nice four-pitch rotation with a 4-seam fastball, curveball, slider and changup, all of which have their own levels of effectiveness. The Blue Jays will have a chance to get more consistency from all four as they work with him in the minors for a few seasons, with him being under team control through 2031.

The decision to move on from Enright could be due to the large number of prospect pitchers the Guardians have in the minor league system.

However, Cleveland's going to miss his incredible story, but the chance for him to continue to further his baseball career alone is a reason to tip your cap.