CLEVELAND — Acquiring bullpen help is among the Guardians’ top needs this offseason, and they added to their mix on Wednesday with the announced signing of right-hander Connor Brogdon to a one-year Major League contract.
Brogdon was outrighted to Triple-A by the Angels in October before he elected free agency. He is under club control through 2027.
The Guardians’ bullpen ranked third in the Majors with a 3.44 ERA in 2025, but the group has experienced turnover this offseason. Relievers Jakob Junis, Kolby Allard and Nic Enright all hit free agency last month.
There also is uncertainty around Emmanuel Clase’s situation, and elsewhere on the depth chart, the Guardians non-tendered Sam Hentges on Nov. 21. Hentges has since signed with the Giants.
Brogdon, who turns 31 on Jan. 29, has a career 4.36 ERA in 186 appearances (including two starts) over six big league seasons between the Phillies, Dodgers and Angels. He spent 2020-24 with Philadelphia, highlighted by a three-year stretch from ’21-23 in which he recorded a 3.51 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 130 appearances.
Last season with the Angels, Brogdon recorded a 5.55 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 47 innings over 43 appearances, with 49 strikeouts and 18 walks. Looking beyond his surface numbers, he has some encouraging underlying metrics, which could make him an intriguing option for manager Stephen Vogt’s bullpen.
Listed at 6-foot-6, Brogdon gets great extension off the mound and ranked in the 92nd percentile last season (7.0 feet), according to Statcast. That was in line with a Guardians pitching staff that finished tied with the Rangers for first in the Majors in average extension (6.7 feet) in 2025.
Brogdon’s changeup and four-seamer were his most often-used pitches last season (41.9 percent usage each), and he also featured a cutter (16.2 percent). His four-seamer averaged 95.5 mph and had a .196 expected batting average in 2025. The latter ranked 31st among 272 pitchers who had at least 75 plate appearances end on that pitch.
Brogdon also had a 29.3 percent whiff rate last season, which would have placed him roughly in the 77th-78th percentile, when compared to qualified pitchers.
Brogdon will join a bullpen mix that is returning Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski and Matt Festa from the end of the 2025 season.
