GuardiansThursday, November 5
Guardians coach Joe Torres is heading to Cincinnati to coach the Reds' pitchers
The 5AM Euclid team
Joe Torres, who helped develop young arms in Cleveland's organization, is leaving to become the Cincinnati Reds' major league pitching coach, replacing Derek Johnson. He reunites with Terry Francona, who managed the Guardians for 11 seasons.
Cleveland will now seek a replacement to work alongside Carl Willis. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti had said last month, "This time of year, there's going to be the inevitable permission requests."
Guardians' ERA ranked in MLB's top 10 from 2022 to 2025
| Season | ERA rank in MLB |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 6th |
| 2023 | 9th |
| 2024 | 3rd |
| 2025 | 4th |
Source: Cleveland.com
- Torres' age: 43, a former No. 10 draft pick in 2000
- Time in Cleveland: last five seasons on the major league staff
- Guardians' ERA in 2024 and 2025: 3.65 combined, lowest in the AL
- Carl Willis: returning as pitching coach for 2027
Between 2022 and 2026, Cleveland had more pitchers 30 or younger with a career WAR of 6 or more than any team in baseball. Torres said he values Cleveland's "continuity throughout the organization" and wants to bring that to the Reds.
Cleveland had the most young pitchers with a career WAR of 1+ and 6+
Source: FOX19
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Career WAR of 1+ | 21 |
| Career WAR of 6+ | 6 |
Sources: Cleveland.com, FOX19