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Hey, Hoynsie: I know the G’s usually talk extension during spring training, but they need to make an exception with Kwan and do it as soon as possible. — Tim Johnson, Rockville, Indiana.
Hey, Tim: After Thursday’s deadline passed with Kwan staying in Cleveland, Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, told reporters that there is no team rule preventing them from negotiating extensions during the season. But they have found with some players that it can be a distraction.
What that means for Kwan and his future with the Guardians remains to be seen.
Hey, Hoynsie: What is the possibility of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz being cleared of any wrongdoing in MLB’s investigation into their involvement with gambling? — Clement Krug, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Hey, Clement: At the moment they are presumed innocent. It’s why they have not been disciplined and are being paid and earning service time while on a leave of absence from the Guardians.
It should be noted, however, that MLB is not in the habit of removing players from the field during the regular season without cause.
Hey, Hoynsie: The front office made it clear by not improving the team before the trade deadline that it doesn’t believe the Guardians are a playoff team. So why would any playing time this season be wasted on anyone that won’t be on the roster next year? — John Kyle, Westfield Center, Ohio.
Hey, John: If they really didn’t think they had a chance to win, they would have traded Steven Kwan. But giving playing time to players who are going to be here next year is a good idea, and it’s pretty much what the Guardians have been doing all year.
Guardians’ Jose Ramirez.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Hey, Hoynsie: We know Jose Ramirez wants to retire as a Guardian. When will we start to hear rumblings of a contract extension or will the upcoming labor negotiations get in the way? — CDL, Strongsville.
Hey, CDL: Ramirez’s current contract runs through 2028. It was pretty much considered a lifetime contract when he signed it. He’ll be 35 when the 2028 season starts.
I think the Guardians have a couple of more years to consider how to keep Ramirez happy beyond 2028. It’s clear he doesn’t want to leave Cleveland and the Guardians want to keep him.
Hey, Hoynsie: I get that the G’s acquired a promising pitcher for Shane Bieber. Can you help me understand why they did not hold out for a power bat of equal potential? — David England, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Hey, David: They talked about position players, but they went with right-hander Khal Stephen because they felt he was the best player available. They also firmly believe that you can never have enough pitching after getting caught short last year.
One more thing, they believe the strength of their farm system is on the position player side.
Hey, Hoynsie: The Shohei Ohtani gambling case was basically investigated and resolved over a weekend. Why is the Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase investigation taking so long? — Jim Ziegra, Durham, New Hampshire.
Hey, Jim: If you think it took federal investigators a weekend to find out how Ohtani’s interpreter stole $17 million from him, I think you better recheck your research.
Ortiz and Clase are being investigated for possibly influencing betting patterns during games by the way they pitched. Their careers are at stake. So the investigation is going to take as long as it takes.
Shane Bieber.Getty Images
Hey, Hoynsie: I am scratching my head to figure out why the Guardians would spend all this money to rehabilitate Shane Bieber and then never have him throw a pitch for them when they have a shot at the wild card? It looks like they’re throwing in the towel. — Roger Luca, Tallahassee, Florida.
Hey, Roger: I understand that line of thinking. Bieber will probably need at least two to three more rehab starts, if everything goes well, before he joins Toronto’s rotation.
At that pace, he could make between eight and 10 starts for the AL East-leading Jays. He may have done the same with the Guardians. If he did, while proving he could still be an effective starter, the chance of him exercising his $16 million player option to stay in Cleveland for 2026 was slim.
The Guardians were excited about having Bieber pitch for them again, but they also wanted to get something in return if he left after this season. They liked right-hander Khal Stephen enough to trade him to the Blue Jays.
Hey, Hoynsie: Will the dump truck they use to deliver Steven Kwan his extension money be a rental? Or will it be solid gold and part of the package? — Carter, New York City.
Hey, Carter: The gold dump truck is definitely part of the package.
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