Pedro Ávila did not hide his emotions when the deal was finalized. After a year that took him across continents and tested his place in professional baseball, the right-hander is back where he believes he belongs. The Cleveland Guardians are in agreement with Ávila on a one-year, split contract, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, a move that blends calculated roster management with a deeply personal reunion.
“This is happiness and pride for me,” Ávila said after the agreement became public. “Cleveland taught me how to grow up and how to become a player with real toughness on the field. In the 2026 season, I will give everything — until my final breath.”
It is a powerful statement from a pitcher whose path back to Cleveland has been anything but straightforward.
Ávila, who turns 29 next month, was designated for assignment by the Guardians less than a year ago in a decision that surprised many around the league. His performance in Cleveland had been solid, even quietly impressive, yet roster constraints and a lack of minor league options forced the organization into a difficult choice. Rather than waiting for another opportunity in the United States, Ávila chose to reinvent himself overseas.
He signed with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, stepping into the unfamiliar world of the Central League. There, Ávila made 15 appearances and logged 82 1/3 innings as a back-end starter, posting a 4.04 ERA. The raw numbers did not demand headlines. His strikeout rate sat at 17.8 percent, well below the modern power-pitching standard. But the underlying metrics told a different story. Ávila generated a strong 43.9 percent ground-ball rate, limited walks to 8.7 percent, and, most importantly, kept the ball in the park. That skill allowed him to post a 3.09 FIP and a 3.38 xFIP, signaling an ability to control damage and manage contact at a high level.
Those traits were not lost on Cleveland.
Now back stateside, Ávila returns with a clearer understanding of who he is as a pitcher and what he brings to a roster. His professional journey began in 2015, when he signed with the Washington Nationals out of Venezuela as an amateur. He later moved through the San Diego Padres system and made his major league debut in 2019, but stability remained elusive. It was not until 2023 that Ávila finally received a meaningful opportunity, pitching to a 3.22 ERA with a 3.67 FIP across 50 1/3 innings as a swingman for San Diego.
That momentum was abruptly halted by a rough start to the 2024 season, prompting the Padres to move on. Cleveland acquired Ávila in a minor mid-April trade, a transaction that drew little attention at the time but quickly paid dividends. With the Guardians, Ávila settled into a long relief role and became one of the bullpen’s most reliable inning-eaters. Across 50 appearances, he threw 74 2/3 innings, striking out 23.0 percent of hitters while walking just 9.4 percent. His 3.25 ERA and 3.76 FIP both ranked comfortably above league average, providing steady value to a staff that often leaned heavily on its bullpen depth.
Despite that performance, Cleveland made the surprising call to cut ties last winter. The reasoning was rooted in logistics rather than results. Ávila was out of minor league options, meaning any attempt to send him down would have required exposing him to waivers. Faced with roster inflexibility, the Guardians chose to move on — at least temporarily.
This new split contract changes the equation entirely.
While the exact salary figures at the major and minor league levels have not been disclosed, the structure of the deal is telling. By guaranteeing Ávila a salary above the standard minor league rate and offering a significantly higher payout for time spent in the majors, Cleveland reduces the risk of losing him on waivers. At the same time, the guaranteed money discourages Ávila from electing free agency if he clears waivers, as doing so would mean leaving that security behind.
For the Guardians, the benefit is strategic flexibility. Ávila effectively occupies a 40-man roster spot while remaining an option to move up and down as needed, a valuable asset for a club with a deep bullpen but limited optionable arms. For Ávila, the deal represents something more personal — trust, opportunity, and a chance to finish unfinished business.
“This organization believed in me when I needed it most,” Ávila said. “I didn’t forget that.”
As Cleveland looks ahead to the 2026 season, this signing may not dominate national headlines, but inside the clubhouse, it carries weight. Ávila returns not as a question mark, but as a pitcher shaped by setbacks, sharpened by experience, and motivated by gratitude. For a team built on depth, resilience, and internal growth, his promise to give everything until the end may be exactly the tone the Guardians want to set.
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