The Cleveland Guardians need to make some moves this offseason.
They can’t rest on their laurels just because they made the playoffs, especially given how much they struggled to find consistency earlier in the season.
With that in mind, insider Justin Lada said they could consider adding an All-Star outfielder.
“I think that Cedric Mullins is not necessarily the best fit for Cleveland, he’s also not the worst fit for Cleveland because he hit 17 home runs last year. Still not a bad defender. He’s just not the first guy I’m jumping at, but the one thing he would do is hit home runs. The last time the Guardians had an outfielder that hit 17 home runs or more was 2014 Michael Brantley. Cedric Mullins has accomplished that in a lot of seasons, actually,” Lada said.
That would’ve been a huge move four years ago when Mullins was an All-Star with the Baltimore Orioles, but not so much now.
Nevertheless, the free agent could be the type of low-risk/high-reward pickup that could help the Guardians get to the next level.
More importantly, he’s likely not going to cost much, which is usually the main thing the Cleveland front office looks for in a possible reinforcement.
The Guardians have several young outfielders who could turn out to be solid hitters for years to come.
But they need proven veterans to guide them along.
Some might feel that Mullins won’t move the needle significantly, coming off a disappointing season that ended with the New York Mets.
But the Guardians do need to add some power to their lineup.
They’re not going to be in the mix for free agent stars like Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber, but if there’s a feasible reinforcement like Mullins available, they might make that kind of move.
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