Guardians have potentially intriguing option for bullpen

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Every once in a while, a non-roster invite turns into a potential gold mine for a team. While it's still too early to see if left-hander Parker Mushinski is going to become the next solid find for the Cleveland Guardians, the early results are certainly promising.

Taking the mound in the bottom of the eighth on Thursday at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick against the Colorado Rockies, Mushinski needed just seven pitches to set the Rockies down in order. It continued a trend this spring where Mushinski has been dominant on the mound, retiring 15 of the 16 batters he has faced during his five appearances. 

The only batter Mushinski hasn't retired so far this spring was the first one he faced, Blaine Crim of the Texas Rangers. In that at-bat, Crim worked a full count into a walk. Crim, however, never got past first base as Mushinski made short work of the rest of the Rangers in the inning.

Since that base on balls, Mushinski has been untouchable, striking out four of the 12 batters he faced in his four March outings.

The 29-year-old Mushinski has major league experience, logging 33.0 innings over 31 games for the Houston Astros between 2022-24. Registering one hold in each of the three seasons, Mushinski gave up five home runs in 14.2 innings during the 2023 season on his way to a 5.52 ERA. After posting a 6.55 ERA in 11.0 innings in 2024, the Astros parted ways with him.

It didn't take long, however, for Cleveland to bring Mushinski on board, agreeing on Nov. 8 to a minor league deal that included an invite to spring training. Mushinski's signing would mark the first NRI deal for the Guardians of the offseason, perhaps showing that Cleveland saw potential in the former seventh-round draft pick.

Of the relievers on Cleveland's depth chart per MLB.com, only three of the healthy options are left-handed, potentially opening a door for Mushinski if he continues to show well on the mound.

Mushinski's chase of a Cleveland roster spot will be an interesting development to watch. With less than two weeks left in spring training, Mushinski is showing so far the non-roster invite was well worth the move for the Guardians.