The Guardians are in agreement with lefty reliever Parker Mushinski on a minor league contract, reports Chandler Rome of the Athletic (on X). He’ll be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Mushinski had been with the Astros since they drafted him in the seventh round in 2017. The Texas Tech product pitched in the big leagues in each of the past three seasons. Mushinski hasn’t found much success, turning in a 5.45 ERA across 33 career innings. He has a below-average 17.4% strikeout rate over that stretch. Mushinski only fanned three hitters in 11 innings this year, leading the Astros to outright him off the 40-man roster in September. He became a minor league free agent at season’s end.
Things have generally gone better at the Triple-A level. Mushinski carries a 3.68 ERA over parts of four seasons in the Pacific Coast League. The majority of that success came between 2022-23. He had a tough season in the minors this year, allowing 5.44 earned runs per nine through 44 2/3 innings.
The Guardians have arguably the best bullpen in the majors. The group skews a bit right-handed, which plays in Mushinski’s favor as he tries to secure an Opening Day job. Tim Herrin is a lock for a season-opening spot, while Erik Sabrowski pitched well in a small sample as a rookie. Sam Hentges, arguably the most talented of Cleveland’s southpaws, is likely to miss all of next season after undergoing shoulder surgery in September. Joey Cantillo and Logan Allen could factor into the ’pen mix but project as rotation depth for the time being.
Mushinski has exhausted his minor league options. If the Guardians call him up at any point, they’d need to keep him on the MLB roster or send him back into DFA limbo.