As the MLB tender deadline approaches, four pitchers have secured their futures for the 2025 season by agreeing to one-year contracts with their respective teams. Justin Topa and Brock Stewart of the Minnesota Twins, Triston McKenzie of the Cleveland Guardians, and Cole Sulser of the Tampa Bay Rays all inked deals to avoid arbitration and lock in their salaries for the upcoming campaign.
Topa and Stewart Stick with Twins
The Minnesota Twins ensured the return of two key arms by signing right-handers Justin Topa and Brock Stewart to one-year pacts. Topa’s deal comes with a guarantee of $1,225,000, which includes a $1 million salary for 2025 and a $2 million team option for 2026 with a $225,000 buyout. The 32-year-old reliever impressed in his first season with the Twins, posting a 3.02 ERA over 47.2 innings.
Meanwhile, Stewart agreed to an $870,000 salary for 2025 with the potential to earn an additional $30,000 in bonuses based on days spent on the active roster. The versatile 31-year-old appeared in 21 games for the Twins last season, including six starts, and recorded a 4.25 ERA across 72 innings.
McKenzie Remains with Guardians
Cleveland Guardians starter Triston McKenzie avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.95 million contract for the 2025 season. The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a breakout campaign in which he went 11-7 with a 2.96 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 30 starts. McKenzie’s deal provides a significant raise from the $584,900 he earned in 2024 and positions him for a substantial payday in arbitration next offseason if he can build on his success.
Sulser Secures Deal with Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays locked up reliever Cole Sulser with a one-year contract that will pay him $900,000 in the major leagues and $450,000 while in the minors. Acquired from the Miami Marlins in a midseason trade last year, the 33-year-old right-hander posted a combined 3.29 ERA over 54.2 innings between the two clubs. Sulser’s deal provides the Rays with a reliable bullpen option at a reasonable cost.
Tender Deadline Looms
The four signings come as MLB teams prepare for Friday’s tender deadline, by which they must decide whether to offer contracts to players under team control or allow them to become free agents. According to sources, the agreements reached by Topa, Stewart, McKenzie, and Sulser, along with other deals and non-tenders, have reduced the number of players eligible for arbitration from 238 at the start of last week to 169.
For those players who do not reach agreements with their teams before the deadline, they will exchange proposed arbitration salaries on January 9, 2025. Hearings for unresolved cases will be scheduled between January 27 and February 14, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Business of Baseball
The pre-tender signings highlight the ongoing dance between MLB teams and players as they navigate the business side of the sport. By agreeing to deals now, the four pitchers have secured guaranteed money for the 2025 season while their teams gain cost certainty and avoid the potentially contentious arbitration process.
As the tender deadline passes and the offseason marches on, fans can expect more contract negotiations, signings, and roster moves as teams shape their squads for the 2025 campaign. While the focus may be on the big-name free agents, the one-year deals inked by players like Topa, Stewart, McKenzie, and Sulser serve as reminders of the myriad decisions and transactions that occur behind the scenes to build a competitive team.
With spring training just a few months away, baseball enthusiasts eagerly await the start of a new season, one in which these four pitchers will aim to make their mark and prove their worth on the mound. As they take the field in 2025, their performances will not only impact their teams’ fortunes but also set the stage for their next forays into the business of baseball and the never-ending quest for financial security in a sport where careers can be fleeting.
