{"id":444987,"date":"2026-01-31T10:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T10:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/444987\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T10:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T10:48:09","slug":"how-fast-can-the-guardians-pivot-to-plan-b-hey-hoynsie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/444987\/","title":{"rendered":"How fast can the Guardians pivot to Plan B? Hey, Hoynsie"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Do you have a question about the Guardians<\/a> that you\u2019d like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? You can subscribe to Subtext here<\/a>, text Hoynsie at 216-208-4346 for a two-week free trial or email him at phoynes@cleveland.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: If the Guardians are playing .500 baseball and are close to first place in the AL Central this year, would they look for an impact player at the All-Star break to try and win a third straight division title? \u2014 Bill, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Hey, Bill: It\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said Thursday at Jose Ramirez\u2019s press conference that the organization could pivot during the regular season if their young position players don\u2019t produce. The money will be there to make trades because they haven\u2019t spent much this winter, but pivoting during a season while still trying to win is difficult. <\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: If Jose Ramirez didn\u2019t sign the long-term extension in 2022, and he didn\u2019t want to stay in Cleveland, what would you estimate he could be earning as a superstar in today\u2019s climate? \u2014 Ed Radatz, Sandusky.<\/p>\n

Hey, Ed: The Guardians were ready to trade Ramirez if he hadn\u2019t signed that extension in 2022. Ramirez would have been a free agent after the 2023 season regardless of where he was playing.<\/p>\n

On the open market, Ramirez probably would have been worth $280 million to $300 million over an eight to 10-year deal.<\/p>\n

\"JoseGuardians third baseman Jose Ramirez at Thursday’s press conference to announce his seven-year, $175 million extension. He’s talking to Agustin Rivero (right), a coach and interpreter for the team.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: What\u2019s the latest on former No.1 pick Daniel Espino? \u2014 Kurt Miller, Worthington.<\/p>\n

Hey, Kurt: For the first time in several years, Espino will go to spring training as a competitor instead of a player rehabbing an injury. The Guardians will be careful with the hard-throwing right-hander because he hasn\u2019t pitched regularly since 2021 after a series of shoulder injuries. They want to ensure that he has a healthy season no matter where or how he pitches.<\/p>\n

Espino has one minor league option left.<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: Is Travis Bazzana, the No.1 pick in the 2024 draft, being groomed for left field? \u2014 Michael Hoffman.<\/p>\n

Hey, Michael: Let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. I think the Guardians want to see Bazzana settle in at second base. When he does that, they\u2019ll decide if they need to expand his versatility. They believe he\u2019s athletic enough to play the outfield.<\/p>\n

The big-league coaching staff will be its first prolonged look at Bazzana this spring.<\/p>\n

\"GuardiansAbout a dozen Guardians employees and Andrews Moving and Storage workers loaded two trucks with a total of about 40,000 pounds of supplies on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at Progressive Field to be shipped to Goodyear, Arizona for spring training. The trucks are expected to be there next week.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: We always hear about the Guardians\u2019 equipment truck leaving Cleveland for spring training. But we never hear about it returning from Arizona to Cleveland. Is there a return truck? \u2014 Skip, Broadview Heights.<\/p>\n

Hey, Skip: Sir Isaac Newton discovered the theory of gravity \u2014 what goes up must come down. Tony Amato, veteran Guardians\u2019 clubhouse manager, discovered his own theory \u2014 when an equipment truck leaves, it always returns.<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: With the basic agreement due to expire in December of 2026, and the threat of a work stoppage looming, are the Guardians avoiding any significant contracts to avoid putting big money on the books in case MLB gets a salary cap? \u2014 Ben Weible. Louisville, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Hey, Ben: There could be a work stoppage, and the owners could push for some form of a salary cap, but that didn\u2019t stop the Guardians from signing Jose Ramirez to a five-year, $175 million extension Thursday. Still, it would be foolish to say the upcoming labor negotiations didn\u2019t affect the Guardians\u2019 payroll.<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: If more players were like Jose Ramirez, who chose loyalty over the almighty dollar, would there be less of a need for a salary cap and a potential lockout after the 2026 season? \u2014 Andy Mees, Sandusky<\/p>\n

Hey, Andy: What you\u2019ve seen unfold between Ramirez and the Guardians is a rarity. In professional sports, loyalty doesn\u2019t go very far. That goes for teams and players.<\/p>\n

To answer your question, even if every team had a player like Ramirez, the owners would still want a salary cap.<\/p>\n

\"JoseGuardians’ Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, says there are still opportunities to try and extend Steven Kwan’s contract.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any news about Steven Kwan getting an extension in the near future? \u2014 Alex Harris.<\/p>\n

Hey, Alex: Chris Antonetti was asked about the possibility of a Kwan extension on Thursday at Jose Ramirez\u2019s press conference. He said Kwan still has two years left under the Guardians\u2019 control, which leaves opportunities to talk about an extension.<\/p>\n

Hey, Hoynsie: I would love to see the Guardians sign Eugenio Suarez (49 homers, 118 RBI, 196 strikeouts) to a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. In the lineup, he could DH between Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo. Then they could move Steven Kwan to center thus freeing the corner outfield spots for prospects (Chase DeLauter, George Valera and C.J. Kayfus) and the signing of Austin Hays or Miguel Andujar. \u2014 Brad, Barberton.<\/p>\n

Hey, Brad: You\u2019ve been doing your homework, but that\u2019s not the message the Guardians\u2019 front office has been delivering all winter. The team\u2019s core players and prospects are going to get the first shot at the upcoming season. The season doesn\u2019t start until March 26, but it sounds like the Guards are going to let the kids play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Do you have a question about the Guardians that you\u2019d like to have answered in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-444987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}