Guardians decline pitcher's $6M option, granting him free agent status

The Cleveland Guardians are gearing up for the 2026 season, and on Thursday, they allowed a pitcher who never took the mound for the team to explore free agency.

According to The Athletic's Zack Meisel, the Guardians declined to pick up John Means' $6 million option, making him a free agent.

Meisel also mentioned that the Guardians outrighted five players from the roster: Kolby Allard, Ben Lively, Matt Krook, Dom Nunez and Will Wilson.

Many Guardians fans might not know who Means is because he was dealing with rehabbing from Tommy John surgery all season.

Cleveland signed Means to a one-year, $1 million contract last offseason, which included an option for 2026. However, the 32-year-old pitcher won’t be seeing that option.

"Means was fully recovered from his second Tommy John surgery and built up by the end of the regular season," Meisel wrote on Thursday. "The Guardians would have granted him a chance to make a couple of starts, but they employed a six-man rotation in September as they chased down the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Central, and since the starters were all flourishing, they didn’t have a spot for Means.

"He made seven rehab outings before the end of the season, and he regularly tossed bullpen sessions in front of Cleveland’s pitching coaches at Progressive Field. Ultimately, the Guardians opted not to devote $6 million to a starter with such an extensive track record of arm trouble, even though they knew going into this union that he wouldn’t pitch much, if at all, in 2025."

Menas spent the first seven years of his career playing for the Baltimore Orioles, where he recorded a 10.5 WAR and a 3.68 ERA. It seemed like Means could've helped the Guardians out last season, but Cleveland never decided to turn to him late.

Means wasn't the only pitcher the Guardians signed during the offseason while recovering from Tommy John surgery. They also brought back starting pitcher Shane Bieber with a two-year deal worth $26 million, which includes a player option for the 2026 season.

Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2024, but like Means, he never set foot on the Guardians' field last season. Cleveland traded Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays just before the MLB trade deadline at the end of July.

Cleveland has a handful of young pitchers it can rely on next season, including Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Parker Messick, Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen and Slade Cecconi.