RUMOR: Guardians Nearing Deal With John Means
Matthew Boyd2: Electric Bugaloo
According to Chris Cotillo who covers the Red Sox for MassLive, the Guardians are nearing a deal with free agent pitcher John Means:
Free agent pitcher John Means in advanced talks with the Guardians, sources say.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 16, 2025
Means had his second Tommy John surgery in June of 2024, so this is somewhat a repeat of the Matthew Boyd experiment as Boyd had Tommy John surgery in June of 2023 and returned to pitch for Cleveland in August of 2024. One would expect that Means is probably looking at a two-year deal with Cleveland, or perhaps a one-year deal with a player option.
For his career, the 32-year old lefthander has struggled to stay healthy but he has a 3.68 ERA in 400 innings. His FIP is 4.56, so this begs the question over what he's doing that defies metrics that try to eliminate luck/fielding differences. He only has 7.55 strikeouts per 9 innings for his career, but he limits walks, issuing only 1.77 per 9. He also is an expert at limiting hard contact. Since 2019, Means is 24th among active pitchers in lowest hard-hit rate allowed. His slider, his changeup and his sparkling knuckle-curve are all well-above average pitches by Stuff+ metrics, helping offset his 91 mph fastball.
Means talked a little about his hopes for coming back in this article from last season which included the quote "Baseball is horrifying and beautiful at the same time" which is a truly tremendous line. We are apparently signing the poet laureate of MLB, here. I approve. Because Means doesn't survive on velocity, he seems as good a bet as any to be able to travel the Matthew Boyd route to efficacy. It's also encouraging to think that Shane Bieber, Vince Velazquez and now Means may see Boyd's success here as a sign that the Guardians are good at helping those who have had Tommy John return to dominance.
Means, when he presumably signs, would be a great gamble at getting a good starting pitcher to add, hopefully right around the trade deadline, at what is sure to be a reasonable rate. I love what the Guardians are doing with him, with Bieber and (on an NRI basis) with Velazquez.