The Guardians’ bullpen was historically good in 2024, especially in the back end where Cleveland had Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase locking down the later innings.
Can the Guardians replicate that success in 2025?
It will certainly be a tough act to follow, but Anthony Castrovince has identified another pitcher who may help Cleveland reach that point again: offseason addition Luis Frias.
“The 26-year-old Frias, who was signed to a Minor League deal with a spring invite, could conceivably join recent acquisitions Paul Sewald and Jakob Junis as an option to ease some of the burden on the Guards’ big four (Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin),” Castrovince wrote.
More specifically, he labeled Frias as a “dark horse candidate” to make the Guardians’ opening-day roster.
“It’s a numbers game, of course, but the trouble with Spring Training – especially after a deep postseason run – is the possibility of injury issues cropping up, potentially opening an opportunity to someone like the experienced Frias,” Castrovince added.
Frias split the 2024 campaign between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays, making 11 total appearances and logging a brutal 13.97 ERA.
The Dominican native entered the big leagues with the Diamondbacks in 2021, but never quite found his footing in Arizona.
Frias’ numbers are certainly not enticing, as he lays claim to a lifetime 7.38 ERA and a beyond alarming 1.967 WHIP. But perhaps Cleveland—an organization known for turning chicken scratch into chicken salad when it comes to pitchers—can get the best out of Frias.