The Guardians added four players to their 40-man roster before tonight’s Rule 5 deadline: pitchers Franco Aleman, Nic Enright, and Doug Nikhazy and outfielder Petey Halpin. To open 40-man spots, Cleveland designated former top outfield prospect George Valera and relievers Peter Strzelecki and Connor Gillispie for assignment.
The most notable piece of news here is the club opting to part ways with Valera. The 24-year-old is just a couple of years removed from being a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport but has been plagued by injuries over the past two years. Valera underwent offseason hand surgery prior to the 2023 season and ultimately did not make his season debut until May of that year, ultimately playing just 11 games prior to June 17 of that year due to additional injury woes. Overall, he hit just .211/.343/.375 despite an excellent 16% walk rate last year.
Things improved in his age-23 season with the Guardians this year on offense, as he hit .248/.337/.452 with 17 home runs, a major step in right direction after slugging just ten the year prior. Unfortunately, Valera was once again limited by injury and played just 90 games in 2024 before going under the knife again back in September. That surgery came with a six-to-nine month recovery timetable, which left him poised to start 2025 on the injured list and likely not be available as a potential big league contributor until the second half of next year at the earliest.
Given the former top prospects injury woes and relatively modest production at Triple-A, the Guardians evidently decided to cut him from the 40-man roster. Now, Valera will be available for any interested club to claim off waivers. If he manages to clear waivers, the Guardians will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues and retain him in the organization for 2025. Importantly, Valera does not have minor league options remaining so any acquiring club would either need to carry him on their active roster or sneak him through waivers themselves later in the offseason.
As for Strzelecki, the 30-year-old right-hander has appeared in the majors in each of the past three seasons but only arrived in Cleveland back in March. Prior to this year, Strzelecki made his big league debut for the Brewers back in 2022 and pitched quite well with a 2.83 ERA and 2.94 FIP in 35 innings of work. The right-hander suffered a down year in 2023, however, as he pitched to a 4.54 ERA in 35 2/3 frames for Milwaukee before being swapped to the Diamondbacks at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for southpaw Andrew Chafin. Strzelecki made just one appearance in a Dbacks uniform last year where he threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames.
The righty was squeezed off of Arizona’s 40-man roster in the run-up to Opening Day this year in order to make room for the addition of Tucker Barnhart, and the Guardians pounced on the opportunity to bring him into the fold. He served as an up-and-down reliever for Cleveland this year and pitched quite well in a limited sample with a 2.31 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 11 2/3 innings of work, though that wasn’t enough to earn a more permanent spot in a loaded Guardians bullpen. With Strzelecki set to enter 2025 without any option years remaining, the Guardians opted to part ways with the right-hander, who could garner interest from rival clubs on the waiver wire now that he’s available.
Gillispie, meanwhile, made his big league debut with the Guardians just this year. He pitched to a 2.25 ERA in eight innings of work in the majors to go along with a rather pedestrian 4.05 ERA in 27 appearances (15 starts) at Triple-A. The 27-year-old will enter the 2025 campaign with options remaining, which could make him particularly attractive to a pitching-needy club as an optionable young arm with the ability to pitch both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.
As for the quartet of prospects, each will be protected from the Rule 5 Draft next month now that they’re on the 40-man roster. Aleman, 24, turned in a dominant season in relief at the Triple-A level with a 1.99 ERA and a 36.6% strikeout rate in 24 appearances. The 27-year-old Enright was picked in the Rule 5 draft one before by the Marlins but was eventually returned to the Guardians. A two-way player for much of his career, the right-hander turned to pitching full-time in 2024 and looked quite good in a small sample as he posted a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work with an incredible 49.2% strikeout rate. Nikhazy, a 25-year-old lefty, split 2024 between the Double- and Triple-A rotations and posted solid numbers with a 2.98 ERA and 25.4% strikeout rate in 123 2/3 innings of work, potentially putting him on the radar for big league starts in 2025. Halpin is the lone position player the Guardians protected, and the club’s third-round pick in the 2020 draft and slashed .233/.314/.399 in 90 games at Triple-A this year.
George Valera was a top 40 prospect just a couple yrs ago.
still 24. got time to find a new home, rebuild his career
and Strzelecki can still be a serviceable RP
3.44 era in 77 games
What’s the deal with Strzelecki? Good overall numbers but not a ton of innings.
Looks like a decent get for a team like the Angels who are low on bullpen help.
he’s bounced around alot. 3 teams 2022-24
spent most of it being moved betw minors + majors
thats the life of a RP. very transient
Strzelecki would likely not have been a casualty today if he still had an option. He’s pretty perfect for the role of extra bullpen arm/shuttle rider. I think he’ll get claimed by someone and then they’ll probably end up trying to get him through waivers in spring.
The Guardians’ bullpen is deadly and deep, no shame in not being able to meet that cut.
Didn’t think we’d see Valera cut loose like this being one of their top prospects for several years, but injuries have kept his development at a standstill. Better luck in another organization.
He’s going to miss a good portion of next year because of surgery as well
Last year some dude crashed out because I said George Valera shouldn’t be a top prospect (he was ~50 on most top 100 lists at the time.) I wonder how he’s taking this news
The Valera news hurts. Don’t hug your prospects too closely
Is it just me or are teams much more comfortable with getting rid of 23-24 yr olds these last few years than they used to
Yes, they are. Its because 23-24 yr old prospects would be just getting their first call up, and have options a plenty. Now, prospects get rushed, get called up and sent down, and run out of options before they are ready to make the cut. If they don’t take to the majors instantly, the front office loses confidence in them quickly.
Surprised to see Valera cut loose. I was hoping he’d end up with a 4th option year. I think a team like the White Sox could do well to pick him up and see if a change of scenery does it.
Halpin is the surprise of this group. Didn’t think he had done enough to get taken, but I guess he does have speed and defensive versatility. Two pitchers I would consider definitely at risk to be taken in the rule V are Tommy Mace and Ryan Webb. Both profile more as soft tossing starters, so would have to be stashed as long relievers or taken by a team that is rebuilding and can waste the 5th starter spot on a flier prospect.
Injuries really suck for sprouspects in the guardans of clevelands
Good points about Halpin. I heard one Guardians podcaster describe him as a left-swinging Myles Straw. And I’m curious too about Mace and Webb being taken and sticking with a club. Valera is an interesting case. Did his injuries derail his development or did his hitting tools get exposed more in upper minors? Also they held on to Rodriguez altho they left him in Columbus most of the season
A little of both on Valera. I think they were more or less ready to handwaive away his 2023 struggles as injury related. But he was hurt at the beginning of this year too, and never really put together much of a run after he was healthy. Ultimately, when they called up Brennan again late in the season, the writing was on the wall. They needed a platoon OF to spell Lane Thomas while he was struggling, and they reached for a guy who has already proven he’s a below average MLB bat for that role rather than give Valera a chance. I think at that point it was clear that the Cleveland FO was out on him.