Cleveland, OH
Where The Cleveland Guardians Payroll Stands Right Now
The Cleveland Guardians have made a series of intriguing moves this offseason. Many of those decisions involved finances for the upcoming season and beyond.
Andres Gimenez and his long-term contract are off the books, and Josh Naylor, who was entering his last season of team control, was moved while he still had relatively high value.
After these trades come Cleveland’s free agent signing of Austin Hedges, Carlos Santana, and Shane Bieber, as well as the arbitration deal with Lane Thomas and Steven Kwan.
As it currently stands, Cleveland’s payroll sits at $97,387,203. To put this in context, the Guardians finished the 2024 season with a payroll of $143,865,037, making this a difference of -$46,478,014. (All numbers are per BrooksGate on X.)
Yes, moving on from Gimenez cleared up some flexibility with the cap, but he was only owed $5.5 million in 2024 and $10.5 million in 2025.
One of the biggest reasons for the drop in payroll is due to the contracts of players who didn’t finish the 2024 season on the active roster.
Those players include Jean Segura ($8.5 million), Scott Barlow ($6.7 million), Ramon Laureano ($5.15 million), and Carlos Carrasco ($2 million) coming off the books, per FanGraphs.
/ Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
So, what does all of this mean?
If the organization plans to match or exceed its 2024 payroll, they have plenty of room to work with.
Chris Antonetti said that following the Gimenez trade, they planned to “reallocate” the funds from that deal to other areas of the roster.
He also mentioned late last week that the team will still “be engaged on opportunities to add to our group if the right opportunities are there.”
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be a big player on the free-agent market.
They could always sign one of the outfielders or starting pitchers on the market, or they could use the funds to keep their homegrown talent.
Cleveland could be saving some of this money for possible upcoming contract extensions. Those negotiations and signings typically happen at some point during Spring Training.
There’s still plenty of time before Opening Day, and the Guardians have options on the free agency market to add pieces to their starting rotation, in the outfield, or both.
Either way, hopefully, the Guardians do something with these funds to improve on the roster which was just three wins away from the World Series just a few months ago.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Cavaliers Trade out of No. 29 Overall in 2026 NBA Draft
The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded out of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Cavs had the No. 29 overall selection on Tuesday night. But Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman decided to trade that selection to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for No. 34 overall and a future second-round selection.
At No. 29 overall, the Cavs will send the Kings UConn forward Alex Karaban.
“It’s in the distant future,” a source told cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor about the future second-round selection acquired in this deal.
Reports from Fedor surfaced early Tuesday morning that the Cavaliers could be interested in bailing out of the first round. By late Tuesday night, Altman was able to execute a trade that sets the Cavs up for further flexibility in the offseason.
Why the Cavs traded out of No. 29 overall
The Cavaliers would’ve owed the No. 29 pick a guaranteed salary just under $2 million.
Because the Cavs are in the lone second apron – and could be looking to shed salary this offseason – ditching the No. 29 overall pick saves the Cavaliers a couple of bucks.
Second round picks are non-guaranteed, two-way deals. That gives the Cavs the financial flexibility they’re looking for.
What the Cavs could do at No. 34 overall
This is a talented draft class. A few high profile players slid into the second round.
UNC center Henri Veesaar is still waiting to hear his name called. The 7-foot center could be a backup to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Duke wing Isaiah Evans is also still waiting to hear his name called, and could fill a big position of need for the Cavaliers. Arkansas guard Maleek Thomas was consistently mocked to Cleveland, and he slid to Day 2 as well.
There’s always a chance that Altman could trade back again.
Second round draft picks are valuable because they could be used as sweeteners in trades this offseason. For example, in exchange for a team taking on the contract of a player like Dennis Schroder or Max Strus, the Cavaliers might want to attach a second round draft pick to make the package more appealing to a trade partner.
Flexibility should be the name of the game for Altman as he tries to improve Cleveland’s roster this offseason. The Cavs won’t have a first round draft pick until 2028. But bailing out of Tuesday night’s first round will give Altman plenty of options on Wednesday and into the rest of the offseason.
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Cleveland, OH
Max McEnelly Lands High-Profile Matchup With Bo Nickal at RAF
University of Minnesota star wrestler Max McEnelly won the 2026 NCAA national championship at 184 pounds, and he’s now set to face superstar Bo Nickal at Real American Freestyle (RAF) 12 on August 22nd in Cleveland, Ohio.
THIS MATCH UP🔥
Bo Nickal takes on Max McEnelly August 22 in Cleveland at RAF12.
Tickets in bio. Stream exclusively on @foxnation pic.twitter.com/loEWdeb5pZ
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) June 22, 2026
McEnelly is preparing for his redshirt junior season with the Gophers, and Nickal is 9-1 as a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, following a storied collegiate wrestling career at Penn State. Their freestyle wrestling match will be contested at 215 pounds.
RAF is an American freestyle wrestling promotion that was founded by Chad Bronstein, Terri Francis, and Hulk Hogan in 2025. The August 22nd show at Rocket Arena will be the one-year anniversary of the promotion. The fights will be broadcast on FOX Nation.
Nickal most recently competed at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, where he defeated Kyle Daukas via first-round finish. He’s now 6-1 in his UFC career. His match against McEnelly will be his second under RAF. He defeated Jacob Cardenas via decision at the promotion’s first show last summer.
Nickal is 6-foot-1, and he wrestled at 197 pounds at Penn State. He competes at the 185-pound middweight division in the UFC, so he might have a slight size advantage over McEnelly, who’s 5-foot-10. The event will be a high-profile opportunity, as McEnelly continues to establish himself as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country.
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Cleveland, OH
Cleveland man dies after fatal shooting at gas station
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was killed Friday after being shot at a gas station on the city’s East side.
Cleveland police said they responded to the Sunoco in the 3300 block of E. 93rd St. around 8:30 p.m.
According to police, officers were in the area when they heard gunshots.
When officers arrived at the gas station, they found the victim with gunshot wounds.
Officers immediately began to provide first aid until EMS arrived and transported him to University Hospitals.
Carl Formby, 49, died from his injuries at the hospital.
Officers said they found two firearms and several casings at the scene.
The Cleveland Police Homicide Unit is investigating the incident.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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