The Cleveland Guardians may not be among the teams that spend big every offseason, but that doesn’t stop them from consistently being one of the most consistent contenders in the American League. They have proven time and time again that there are ways to build a great team without spending nine figures in free agency.
The Guardians spent next to nothing this past offseason, which frustrated a lot of fans who felt that the team was just one or two moves away from World Series contention. However, the team still finds itself atop the AL Central once again in early June, in part thanks to one under-the-radar move that has helped fortify the bullpen. Rowan Kavner of FOX Sports recently wrote an article highlighting every team’s best move this past offseason.
For Cleveland, he highlighted the signing of Colin Holderman, who was inked for just $1.5 million and has produced some scintillating stats since being signed by the Guardians.
“Signed for just $1.5 million in December, reliever Colin Holderman is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a team-best 0.78 WHIP. This is what the Guardians do,” Kavner wrote.
Holderman had a miserable go of it in 2025, posting a 7.01 ERA in 24 appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates after a couple of solid seasons in Pittsburgh. The Guardians must have seen something they liked, because he has rebounded in a big way to post the best numbers of his career so far in this young season.
Holderman’s performance has been a big help given the injuries to Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski this season, though Cleveland stands to get a nice boost soon with Sabrowski inching closer to a return. He is the latest of many low-risk, high-upside signings that this front office has struck gold on, and hopefully, he can maintain this performance throughout the summer.
It’s not always the big signing that takes a team to the next level. You need guys like Holderman, and this organization has had a lot of success finding guys like this over the years.
It’s no surprise the Guardians did it again.
NEXT: Guardians Pitcher Has Slowly Turned His Season Around
