Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jo Adell, acquired on deadline day this year, is facing an uncertain future. He may or may not be non-tendered, depending on the team’s willingness to pay for his projected arbitration raise.
It sounds, potentially, like an unfair way to treat a solid outfielder who made the offense better in the stretch run and contributed in the postseason. However, the Guardians might opt to cut ties with him for these two reasons:
Price
According to recent estimates, such as MLB Trade Rumors, Adell’s salary is set to increase significantly. The final figure could get close to $10 million, which is significantly more than the Guardians are comfortable paying, in all likelihood.
The Guardians usually operate on a lower tier of payroll, and committing close to $10 million to one player, particularly one who hasn’t exceeded 1.5 fWAR in any season since making his MLB debut, is probably too much.
Only Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are projected to make more than Adell in 2027. Is he really worth keeping under the third-highest salary on the roster? It’s certainly a legitimate question.
Adell is a good, solid major leaguer who gave the Guardians a 107 wRC+ and 32 RBI in 48 games after coming over from LA. Additionally, he gave them elite performance against lefties, something they lacked for years. The price, however, appears to be too high.
Potential In-House And External Alternatives
The Guardians might also find other alternatives to Adell who could potentially contribute a similar stat line without the hefty salary. They won’t necessarily be easy to find, but they’re there.
Among internal options, they have Kody Huff, who slashed a robust .264/.402/.547 with a .949 OPS against lefties this year in Triple-A and seems primed for an MLB call-up next year. He’s mainly a catcher who can play the infield corners, though, so there would have to be some roster maneuvering.
Alfonsin Rosario plays the outfield and is much better against lefties as well, but neither he nor Huff are at Adell’s level when it comes to mashing southpaws. That’s why they will probably have to go the free agent or trade route.
Randal Grichuk should be much more affordable and posted similar numbers against lefties as Adell did last year with the Chicago White Sox. Other right-handed outfielders with a similar profile are Austin Slater, Adolis Garcia, and Austin Hays.
If the Guardians want to find cheaper options than Adell for his specific role, they probably will. Whether they are as good as him is an entirely different matter, though.
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