Guardians add lefty Bruihl to bullpen mix, DFA Noel

CLEVELAND – The Guardians added another option to their bullpen mix on Wednesday while alleviating some of the logjam on their outfield depth chart.

The Guardians announced they acquired left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Blue Jays for cash. In a corresponding move to clear space on the 40-man roster, Cleveland designated Jhonkensy Noel for assignment.

Here is a further look at the moves.

Who is Bruihl?
Bruihl (whom Toronto designated for assignment on Tuesday) has pitched parts of five seasons with the Dodgers, Rockies, Pirates and Blue Jays. He has a career 4.72 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 89 2/3 innings over 94 appearances (including two starts).

Last season, Bruihl recorded a 5.27 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 13 2/3 innings over 15 appearances with Toronto. The 28-year-old has five seasons of club control remaining, including 2026.

Bruihl relies on a three-pitch mix of a sinker, sweeper and cutter. This past season, he threw his sinker – which averaged 90.2 mph – most frequently (51.1% usage), followed by his sweeper (41.6%) and cutter (7.3%).

Opponents hit .344 and had a .438 slugging percentage off Bruihl’s sinker in 2025, though opponents’ expected batting average (.241) and expected slugging percentage (.353) against it perhaps point to some bad luck. Overall, Bruihl limited opponents to a stellar 87.2 mph average exit velocity and a 30.8% hard-hit rate.

Bruihl fits the profile of other Guardians pitchers in that he gets great extension off the mound. His average extension in 2025 was 6.8 feet, which ranked in the 81st percentile. Cleveland finished tied with Texas for first in the big leagues in average extension (6.7 feet) this past season.

More depth for the bullpen
The Guardians made it clear at the Winter Meetings last week that they are in the market for bullpen help. Bruihl is the fourth reliever they have added over the past 2 1/2 weeks.

Cleveland previously signed both Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman to one-year deals, and it selected Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft. But each of those three throws right-handed.

With Bruihl in the fold, the Guardians now have three left-handers in their relief mix, alongside Erik Sabrowski and Tim Herrin. At the very least, Bruihl offers depth from the left side – and he has had success against left-handed hitters in his career, holding them to a .224 average and a .580 OPS.

Noel’s DFA
Noel authored one of the most memorable moments in recent franchise history, when he belted a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning of Cleveland’s 7-5 win over New York in Game 3 of the 2024 American League Championship Series. He had a tough ‘25 season, albeit with limited playing time.

Noel made the Opening Day roster and appeared in 69 games while slashing .162/.183/.297 with six homers, 13 RBIs and 52 strikeouts in 153 plate appearances. He was optioned to Triple-A Columbus twice before he was recalled on Sept. 1 and finished the season in the Majors.

The DFA does not officially end Noel’s time with Cleveland, as he could clear waivers. But the Guardians have a crowded outfield mix as it stands, and they want to give runway to young players who are in that mix.

Chase DeLauter (ranked as the Guardians’ No. 2 prospect, No. 58 overall by MLB Pipeline), George Valera and C.J. Kayfus can play right field and will be in the Opening Day roster mix in Spring Training.

Beyond that trio, other right-field options include Nolan Jones, Johnathan Rodríguez and potentially even David Fry -- who will return to fielding in 2026 after he was limited to hitting this past season coming off November ‘24 Tommy John surgery.