Cleveland Guardians sign reliever Trevor Stephan to long-term extension

The Guardians have locked another reliever into a long-term deal.

The club and right-hander Trevor Stephan have agreed to a four-year contract extension that includes two club option years, the team confirmed on Thursday before its Opening Day game in Seattle.

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Stephan joins closer Emmanuel Clase as relievers signed to long-term extensions dating back to last spring. Prior to Opening Day in 2022, Clase was signed to a five-year, $20 million extension that also included two club options.

The Guardians have also agreed to terms with second baseman Andres Gimenez on a seven-year, $106.5 million extension that includes one club option year.

Gimenez and Stephan join Clase, third baseman Jose Ramirez and center fielder Myles Straw as Guardians players locked into extensions that potentially reach at least the 2028 season with the club options. The Ramirez and Gimenez deals represent the two largest contracts ever handed out in franchise history. The previous record was the $60 million deal given to Edwin Encarnacion before the 2017 season.

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Stephan had a breakout 2022 season in which he posted a 2.69 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 63⅔ innings while often handling high-leverage situations ahead of Clase. Stephan proved to be a key member of a Guardians bullpen that finished the 2022 season as one of baseball's best, ranked fifth in ERA (3.05), third in WHIP (1.11), fifth in FIP (3.39) and fourth in fWAR (6.6).

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians sign Trevor Stephan to long-term contract extension