Armstrong returns to his original organization. He was drafted by Cleveland in 2011 and pitched for them in the majors from 2015 to 2017. In the nearly decade since, he spent time with the Mariners, Orioles, Rays, Marlins, Cardinals, Cubs and Rangers.
Despite that nomadic journey, his performance is in some ways quite stable. His earned run average has fluctuated from year to year, but that’s not unusual for relief pitchers, who throw a small number of innings annually and can have ERA swings after a few bad games. From 2019 to 2025, Armstrong pitched at least 36 innings in each full season with at least 52 frames in five of the six. His strikeout rate finished between 22% and 27% in each of these. His walk rate has finished below 9.2% in six consecutive seasons.
All told, Armstrong has thrown 363 1/3 innings since the start of 2019 with a 3.96 ERA, a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate. Despite that fairly solid stretch, he settled for a modest $1.25 million deal with the Rangers for the 2025 season.
Texas was certainly happy with that investment. Armstrong averaged about 94 miles per hour on both his foursider and sinker, while also mixing in a 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% beach rate were unsustainably fortunate, 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 twelve carries for the Rangers.
Armstrong parlayed that into a new deal worth more than four times his last, the biggest payday of the 35-year-old’s career. The Guardians had a strong bullpen in 2025, as their collective 3.44 ERA ranked third in the majors, behind only the Padres and Red Sox. They’re one key member down, like Emmanuel class He is under investigation for a gambling scandal and may never pitch in the Majors again.
The Guards typically don’t have a lot of money to throw around, but have been busy expanding their bullpen with small moves. They signed Colin Holderman And Connor Brogdon to deals in the big league. They acquired Justin Brouwel of the Blue Jays and selected Peyton Pallette of the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. These new weapons will add to a group that includes incumbents Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and others.
Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images
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