Cleveland Guardians Update: McKenzie out, Gimenez Contract Extended and Guardians – Mariners Series Preview

Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie out for eight weeks, Cleveland extends infielder Andres Gimenez ahead of their opening series with the Seattle Mariners.

The Cleveland Guardians were dealt a huge blow this past week when word that starting pitcher Triston McKenzie could miss up to eight weeks with a shoulder strain.

McKenzie was expected to be the No. 2 starter in Terry Francona’s starting rotation, which is a massive blow for the Guardians. McKenzie was 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA and finished his 2022 campaign going 7-1 down the stretch, including a pair of playoff victories.

RHP Hunter Gaddis will take McKenzie’s spot in the rotation–Gaddis made two starts for Cleveland in 2022 and was 0-2 with an 18.42 ERA over 7.1 frames. Gaddis was already on the opening-day roster, and if he struggles, Francona could turn to AAA farmhand Konnor Pilkington.

How the McKenzie Injury Affects the Guardians Odds

McKenzie is a +2200 favorite to win the AL CY Young Award, and that is a bad bet to make as he won’t likely pitch enough innings to win the award.

Regarding the Guardians team’s future bets, Cleveland is a +130 favorite to win the American League Central division, and that is still a good bet to make. At the very least, McKenzie should pitch the second half of the season, and if he comes close to his 2022 season numbers, the Guardians will be in contention to win the division.

Guardians Extend Gimenez

The Guardians also announced they’d extended the contract of 2B Andres Gimenez–the deal is worth $106 million over the next seven years. The deal comes on the heels of a breakout season for the Venezuelan native–Gimenez batted .297 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI with a 7.5 W.A.R. over 146 games in 2022.

Andrés Giménez's contract extension with the Guardians will be for seven years and $106.5 million and includes a club option for the 2031 season, sources tell ESPN. The deal starts next year and covers Giménez's three arbitration years and potentially five free agent seasons.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 28, 2023

Guardians vs. Mariners Series Opener

Cleveland opens their season in Seattle for a three-game series with the Mariners. Both teams have announced their starting pitchers for the series, and the starting matchups look like this.

Date	Guardians	Mariners
March 30, 2023	Shane Bieber	Luis Castillo
March 31, 2023	Hunter Gaddis	Robbie Ray
April 1, 2023	Aaron Civale	Logan Gilbert
April 2, 2023	Cal Quantrill	Marco Gonzales

Current form of Seattle Mariners

Seattle is coming off a surprise season that ended in a series sweep by the Houston Astros. The Mariners are +320 favorites to win the American League West, and they have a solid starting rotation with above-average arms in the bullpen.

The Mariners ended their 2022 season as a top-10 offensive team and added 2B Kolton Wong for extra punch in the lineup. 3B Eugenio Suarez, Teoscar Hernandez, and 1B Ty France are expected to be their offensive leaders, and 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez is a +700 favorite to win the AL MVP.