The Cleveland Guardians know their identity and are not seeking to change it anytime soon. They have agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with right-handed relief pitcher Jakob Junis, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

The 32-year-old owns a lackluster 4.48 career ERA but was highly reliable last season. He recorded a 4-0 record with a 2.69 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. American League Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt will have the option to employ Junis as a long reliever or starter, giving the pitching staff more depth.

Guardians enhance their strength

Cleveland has taken a fairly conservative approach this offseason. The organization re-signed former Cy Young Shane Bieber, traded Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez and reunited with Carlos Santana, among other transactions. It is quite obvious the Guardians are trusting their elite bullpen to push it into the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

They are now adding to their robust relief unit. While Junis might eventually slide into the back end of the rotation, he has the potential to act as an effective bridge to the later innings. Emmanuel Clase's cataclysmic October notwithstanding, the Cy Young finalist notched a sensational 0.61 ERA and .154 batting average against in 74 1/3 regular season innings. Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and Tim Herrin all joined the top closer in posting a sub-2.00 ERA while logging 70-plus appearances.

Although bullpens can obviously vary year to year, the Guardians are taking measures to ensure that their group is once again among MLB's best. Surrounding six-time All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez with enough firepower in the lineup is always a challenge, but Cleveland might be able to rack up wins by playing smart baseball and silencing batters in the final stretch of games.

The reigning divisional champions rode that formula to the ALCS last season, and they hope to achieve more noteworthy success in 2025. Jakob Junis will do what he can to aid their efforts.