Guardians Sign Armstrong to $5.5M, One-Year Deal

Cleveland, Ohio - Free agent right-hander Shawn Armstrong has agreed to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million with the Cleveland Guardians, marking his return to the organization that first drafted him more than a decade ago.

The deal, first reported late Thursday, includes a mutual option for 2027 and remains pending a physical examination. Officials have not yet formally announced the agreement. Armstrong, 35, spent last season with the Texas Rangers, where he posted a 4-3 record with nine saves and a 2.31 earned-run average over 71 appearances. In 74 innings, he recorded 74 strikeouts and 20 walks, contributing reliably in high-leverage situations, including converting all six of his opportunities in the ninth inning or later.

A Cleveland native in baseball terms, Armstrong was selected by the Guardians in the 18th round of the 2011 draft. He made his major league debut with the team in 2015 and pitched there through the 2017 season before a trade sent him to Seattle. Since then, his journeyman career has taken him to Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Miami, St. Louis, and the Chicago Cubs. Over 11 seasons and 370 appearances, he has compiled a 15-11 record, 17 saves, and a 3.82 ERA...