Right-hander Jakob Junis and the Cleveland Guardians are in agreement on a one-year, $4.5 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel on Thursday, adding versatility to a pitching staff that was ravaged by injuries to starters last year.
The 32-year-old Junis, whose slider has played well in starting and relief roles, finished last year with a 2.69 ERA in 67 innings, walking only eight batters and striking out 51.
After starting almost exclusively during his first five seasons with Kansas City, Junis proved to be a reliable swingman for two years with San Francisco and in 2024 with Milwaukee and Cincinnati, where he was traded at the deadline.
Cleveland has spent the winter trying to rebuild a pitching staff with starting depth to match its bullpen excellence. While the Guardians had the best reliever ERA in baseball by more than half a point last year, their starters’ ERA of 4.40 ranked 24th.
The Guardians used 14 different starters last year, with ace Shane Bieber lost to Tommy John surgery, injuries and ineffectiveness limiting young starters Gavin Williams, Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen, and Cleveland turning to late-season additions Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb to pitch vital playoff innings during a run to the American League Championship Series.
The Guardians re-signed Bieber, who will pitch again later this season, to pair with Tanner Bibee at the top of the rotation, added right-handers Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi in trades, and return workhorse Ben Lively, Williams, McKenzie, Allen and Joey Cantillo.