December 20: Cleveland officially announced the addition of Armstrong. The right-hander will make $4MM in 2026, reports Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. The deal also includes an $8MM co-op option for 2027, and a $1.5MM buyout. Left hand Justin Bruehl he was assigned to make room for Armstrong with 40 men.
December 18: Guardians and right hand Shawn Armstrong have agreed to a deal, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. The ISE Baseball client will be guaranteed $5.5MM in a one-year deal with the same option. The Rangers have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make this deal official.
Armstrong returns to his original organization. He was drafted by Cleveland back in 2011 and pitched in the majors from 2015 to 2017. In the nearly ten years since, he has spent time with the Mariners, Orioles, Rays, Marlins, Cardinals, Cubs and Rangers.
Despite those wanderings, his performance has been somewhat steady. His earned run average has fluctuated from year to year, but that’s not unusual for relief pitchers, who pitch a small number of innings every year and can have their ERA swing in a few bad games. From 2019 to 2025, Armstrong has thrown at least 36 innings in each full season with at least 52 frames in six. His strikeout rate finished between 22% and 27% each time. His walk rate has finished below 9.2% in six straight seasons.
Add it all up and Armstrong has thrown 363 1/3 innings since the start of 2019 with a 3.96 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. Despite that strong streak, he settled on a $1.25MM limited deal with the Rangers through the 2025 season.
Texas was certainly happy with that investment. Armstrong averaged 94 miles per hour on both his four pitches and sinker while combining the cutter, slider and curveball. He threw 74 innings on the year with a 2.31 ERA, a 26.1% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate. His .196 batting average on balls in play and 76.3% strikeout rate were uncontrollable luck, but his 3.07 FIP and 3.36 SIERA suggest he would have done well even with neutral luck. He saved nine games and registered 12 for the Rangers.
Armstrong explained that in a new deal worth more than four times his last, the biggest payday of the 35-year-old’s career. The Rangers had a solid bullpen in 2025, as their collective 3.44 ERA was third in the majors behind only the Padres and Red Sox. They are down one key member, as Emmanuel Clase he is being investigated for a gambling scandal and may not be successful again.
Guards don’t usually have tons of money to throw around but they’ve been busy growing their bullpen with little moves. They have signed Colin Holderman again Connor Brogdon for big deals. They benefited Justin Bruehl from the Blue Jays and selected Peyton Pallette from the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Those new weapons will add to the squad that includes the bosses Kade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and others.
Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images
