The business of baseball never stops, and the pace is about to pick up in the coming days with the eventual conclusion of the World Series. The Cleveland Guardians have some important decisions to make, with several of their players about to become free agents.
According to MLB rules, teams get a brief negotiating window with their current players. After that, they are free to explore the market, and it looks like that’s what the eligible Guardians will do.
Of course, this entire offseason will be complicated by the ongoing labor negotiations, but according to insider Joe Noga of Cleveland.com, the Guardians could lose five players to free agency, a mix that includes a popular veteran and some trade-deadline rentals.
“For Cleveland, that means five days to decide whether there is any reason to bring back catcher Austin Hedges, first basemen Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins, or pitchers Foster Griffin and Shawn Armstrong,” Noga wrote.
Of the five, Noga speculates that “Hedges might be the only realistic candidate to return,” but he might have to take a pay cut to do so. The 34-year-old has expressed an emotional desire to extend his time with the Guardians, but there may not be mutual interest, even with a lowered salary.
Lowe was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds at the early-August trade deadline and provided the team with the competent veteran hitter it was looking for at first base. With Lowe and fellow deadline acquisition Jo Adell in the lineup, the Guardians went from 14th in the American League in runs per game (3.95) to third (4.73), according to Noga. But with former starter Kyle Manzardo and top prospect Ralphy Velazquez available to take over at first base, Lowe looks to be expendable.
Hoskins was signed during spring training to serve the veteran first base role that Lowe eventually filled, but he had a very disappointing season that ended with him on the injured list. Armstrong, a relief pitcher, is another older player with an injury history, carrying a price tag that the Guardians are unlikely to pay.
Griffin, a starting pitcher who also arrived at the deadline, is an interesting case, as he may have priced himself out of Cleveland with the success that he had, particularly coming out of the bullpen in the playoffs. The left-hander likely created a bigger market for himself, and the Guardians had a solid and reliable rotation before his arrival, with Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, and Slade Cecconi still available behind Gavin Williams and Parker Messick.
So, as usual, there are going to be changes on the Guardians roster from one season to the next, whenever this one happens to begin.
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