The Cleveland Guardians opened their offseason roster work on Friday by declining their portion of reliever Shawn Armstrong’s mutual option for 2027 and declining Trevor Stephan’s club option, sending both right-handers into free agency, according to reporting by MLB.com that was syndicated by Viral Sports News. In the same set of moves, the club selected the contract of infielder Milan Tolentino from Triple-A Columbus, leaving the 40-man roster at 36 players.
The money explains the decisions. Armstrong’s option carried an $8 million salary against a $1.5 million buyout, while Stephan’s was valued at $7.25 million with a $1.25 million buyout, according to the MLB.com reporting. Cleveland chose the buyouts in both cases, freeing payroll and roster spots as it begins reshaping its group for 2027.
Armstrong, 36, came full circle this year. He returned to the organization that originally drafted him in the 18th round in 2011 after signing a one-year deal last December that included the mutual option, and Cleveland viewed him as a high-leverage bullpen piece for manager Stephen Vogt. His regular season was uneven — a 4.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 4.43 FIP across 35 1/3 innings in 41 appearances.
A left calf strain suffered on July 24 placed Armstrong on the 60-day injured list and raised the possibility of a season-ending absence. He returned in time for three appearances in the final week of the schedule — and then found a different gear in October.
Once the postseason arrived, Armstrong recorded a 1.04 ERA with six strikeouts and no walks in 8 2/3 innings over seven appearances, including two outings as an opener in Games 4 and 6 of the American League Championship Series, according to the MLB.com reporting. After Game 6, he spoke about the appeal of remaining with the club, saying a single season with the group had felt far longer — comments reported by MLB.com — and that he would welcome another year in Cleveland if the front office agreed.
That history is why Friday’s decision does not necessarily close the door. Armstrong’s postseason work leaves open the possibility of a reunion on different terms, at a price below the $8 million option the club declined. For now, though, he is a free agent, and Cleveland’s bullpen picture for 2027 is officially unsettled.
Stephan’s situation followed a very different path. After a strong 2022 campaign in which he posted a 2.69 ERA over 66 appearances, he signed a four-year extension in 2023 that included club options for 2027 and 2028. He has not appeared in a major-league game in the three seasons since.
Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2024 kept Stephan out for the entire year, and he began pitching again in the minors in 2025 before the Guardians outrighted him off the 40-man roster that August as he worked to restore velocity. He spent most of 2026 with Columbus, where the 30-year-old posted an 11.12 ERA in 22 2/3 innings across 22 appearances, according to the MLB.com reporting — numbers that made the $7.25 million option an easy decline.
The addition in the deal may matter most in the long run. Tolentino, who turns 25 on Nov. 17, spent the full season at Columbus after arriving as a non-roster invitee. He hit .225/.328/.453 with 25 doubles, 21 home runs, 74 RBIs, 65 walks and 157 strikeouts while appearing at shortstop, third base, second base and the outfield corners, according to the MLB.com reporting.
Vogt had singled Tolentino out during spring training for one of the stronger performances in camp. His selection protects him ahead of the winter roster deadlines and adds a versatile depth option to the major-league roster — a left-handed bat with power who can move around the infield and corners.
Cleveland’s other pro teams are in roster-and-rotation mode this weekend, too. The Cavaliers took a loss into their Saturday trip to Milwaukee, as we covered in Cavaliers’ Win Streak Ends in 114-111 Loss at Atlanta Despite Harden’s 24 Points, and the Cavs are part of a major youth sports investment in the city we reported in Cleveland Youth Campus to Turn Gym Into 15,000 Field House With Cavs’ Help.
What happens next: with the 40-man roster at 36, the Guardians have room to add — through free agency, trades, or further protections from their minor-league system — before the winter meetings. The first questions are in the bullpen, where Armstrong’s high-leverage innings and October form have to be replaced, whether by a reunion at a new price or by new arms entirely.