The Cleveland Guardians continue to bolster their rotation.

Their most recent release, however, may not have an immediate impact.

They recently signed veteran Baltimore Orioles southpaw John Means to a one-year contract worth $1 million.

He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he has had the same procedure performed twice since 2022.

With this in mind, Orioles and MLB Network broadcaster Melanie Newman spoke about what Guardians fans can anticipate from the left-handed pitcher:

“Cleveland is going to love John Means. He is the type of athlete you wish the entire clubhouse could be full of. Since 2022, he’s made ten starts, threw little over 50 innings, and has had some bad luck with injuries. But this is someone who, once healthy, will get it properly repaired; it won’t be easy from there,” Newman explained.

Means’ contract contains a team option in 2026.

Means made 26 starts in 2021, finishing 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA.

However, he has only made ten starts in three seasons since his breakout performance.

During his seven-year career in Maryland, he had a 23-26 record with a 3.68 ERA.

Of course, this is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition for this team, and the fact that they were able to get him on such a team-friendly contract is a huge gain for management.

Granted, there are always significant risks associated with signing a player with a history of injuries, particularly this type of ailment.

Nonetheless, the Guardians only require one or two more reliable limbs to complete their rotation.

They will get Shane Bieber back at some point in the season, and if they can get Means back to his previous form to take the mound down the stretch, Stephen Vogt’s squad will be very dangerous in 2025.

Triston McKenzie Had An Encouraging Sign On Saturday

In the sweet science of pitching, velocity is not everything.

We’ve seen pitchers with 92-mph fastballs dominate and have long, successful careers.

However, it has been demonstrated that velocity has a strong correlation with strikeouts, and the latter is generally predictive of future success.

In other words, you can succeed even if you don’t have top fastball velocity, but throwing harder will make the ride smoother.

This is why scouts, instructors, coaches, and development professionals are all fascinated by radar guns.

In the case of Cleveland Guardians righty Triston McKenzie, a thorough grasp of early spring velocity data will be critical in predicting the type of season he can have.

On Saturday, the 2022 stalwart sat in the 93-95 mph range with his heater, peaking at 95.4 mph.

In 2022, McKenzie averaged 92.5 mph with his four-seamer and had a 2.96 ERA and 19.9 percent whiff rate. However, in 2023, his fastball velocity dropped to 91.1 mph and the whiff rate dropped to a mediocre 10.3 percent, resulting in a 5.11 ERA and promotion to Triple-A.

McKenzie worked hard at the Cressey Sports Performance Center to recapture his best fastball and pitching instincts.

For an afternoon, he looked like his old self.

We still have to see ‘Sticks’ maintain that velocity for five or six innings, but Saturday was a great day for him and his confidence.

If he can maintain at least 80% of his 2022 performance, the great Guardians rotation will be in excellent shape.