The Cleveland Guardians made a free agent signing that may become very significant. The Guardians signed former Baltimore Orioles left-handed starting pitcher, John Means, to a one-year contract. The initial value of Mean’s contract is $1 million. The contract includes an option for a second year at $6 million, with another $1.5 million in potential bonuses. It is the second year option that could be consequential for Cleveland. The major issue? Means, who turns 32 in April, is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Signing Means is the ultimate risk/reward transaction. The risk is limited for the 2025 season, but the reward can be tremendous. Basically, this will be a season of recovery for Means. At some point, he will be ramping up to pitch again. Means was the “ace” of the Orioles staff for several years. In fact, he was an All Star in 2019. That season he was second in the voting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Means is recovering from June 3 surgery. It usually takes a year or more to recover. Means had his first Tommy John surgery in 2022. Tommy John surgery is a reconstruction/replacement of the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. It takes time and aggressive, tiring work for a pitcher to rehabilitate from any surgery impacting the shoulder, the elbow, or the forearm.
About John Means:
Means is a big lefty, at 6-4, 230 pounds. Means’ professional baseball history is far from the norm for a major league player of his stature. In 2014, Means was an 11th round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles. Selected out of West Virginia University, for Means, no signing bonus is listed by Baseball America, a premier source for draft signings.. In fact, Means may not have received a signing bonus at all, as the player taken before Means with pick No. 330, Jared Miller, got only a $150,000 bonus from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Generally speaking, players are not given signing bonuses beyond the 10th round., But Means has overcome very long odds, as he not only became a major league player after being drafted at No. 331 overall, but he has been a star. A true star. Until he got hurt. By today’s Major League Baseball’s trend of promoting players very early in their careers, and while they are very young as well, Means got a bit of a late start on the Orioles big league club. Means spent parts of eight seasons pitching in the Orioles minor league system. That was par for the course with lower round draft picks carrying minimal club investment. Means was 25-years-old when he made his major league debut in 2018. He made 129 minor league starts, covering 671 innings. But then, when he got his big league opportunity, he thrived. Until his first elbow surgery in 2022. In his All Star 2019 season, Means appeared in 31 games, starting 27. He threw to a record of 12-11, with a 3.60 ERA, and 1.13 WHIP.
brooksbaseball.net indicates that in July 2020, Means had a 95 miles per hour four-seam fastball. He was also throwing a slider at 85 miles per hour, a curve at 80 miles per hour, and a changeup at 84 miles per hour. It remains to be seen if he can reach that velocity after two surgeries. Means relied mostly on his fastball/changeup combination. In his All Star season, Means was a master of deception. He achieved excellent movement on his pitches, changing eye levels, and impacting the balance of the hitter. In his best moments on the mound, Means got ahead in counts, and required the hitter to hit his pitch. Means made four starts for Baltimore in 2023, pitching 23.2 innings. Last season, Means made four starts once again, and threw 20.2 innings. However, if Means returns to anything close to his 2019 form, the Guardians will have made a very astute investment. There is no real timetable for Means to return to the big league mound. In fact, Means may not be pitching at all in a game this season. Means will wear No. 47 with the Guardians.
Conclusions:
John Means will not likely be a pitching project fort Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis and his staff. If he returns to a full range of motion in his valuable left arm, and if he is totally recovered from his second Tommy John surgery, the Guardians will be thrilled. For this old scout, once healthy again, John Means can become a consequential starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians.
