The Cleveland Guardians have a difficult decision to make regarding veteran catcher Austin Hedges this offseason. An important part of the organization for the past three years, and for a time before that, Hedges will be a free agent, which means he has to figure out his next steps as well.
Hedges lost a lot of his playing time in the postseason to Patrick Bailey, and at 34 years old, he may no longer fit into the Guardians’ plans. But for now, it is worth considering what he has meant to the franchise.
Guardians executive Chris Antonetti recently got honest about Hedges’ future in Cleveland, saying the veteran deserves to test the market after a very good campaign.
“Where things go from here, we have to figure out. But as we told Austin, he put together an extraordinary year, and he not only matched an incredible defensive reputation as a catcher, but put together the best offensive season of his career. So, he’s earned the right to see what’s out there in a market, but that doesn’t diminish or take away any of our appreciation for the contributions he’s made. We don’t know what the future is going to hold, but for at least three years, I got to spend them with him and watch him develop into the person that he is even more so, and I can’t say enough good things about Austin,” Antonetti said.
"Where things go from here, we have to figure out. But as we told Austin, he put together an extraordinary year, and he not only matched an incredibly an incredible defensive reputation as a catcher, but put together the best offensive season of his career. So, he's earned the… https://t.co/eUCrXQufVJ pic.twitter.com/UgBshpa5QK
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 22, 2026
That may sound like the Guardians hope Hedges decides to look around. For his part, after Cleveland was eliminated from the ALCS by the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Hedges said, “I hope this isn’t the last time I put a Cleveland jersey on.”
Given time to reflect and explore this offseason, Hedges’ sentiment may change. The Guardians may also have plans that they did not want to reveal right away.
Cleveland acquired Hedges from the San Diego Padres during the 2020 season, before he moved on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers in 2023, when he won the World Series with the Rangers. He returned to the Guardians in 2024 and has signed a one-year deal to return each offseason.
Bailey arrived in May in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. That resulted in the demotion of catcher Bo Naylor to the minors, and he was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even with Bailey improving on offense and Hedges falling off considerably after his career-best start, the duo continued to split the job at their usual rate, with Hedges serving as Parker Messick’s personal catcher. But in the playoffs, Hedges got just three at-bats in four appearances, while Bailey received 33 at-bats playing in all 11 games.
With Bailey under team control through the 2029 season, and prospect Cooper Ingle a potential option at catcher, it might be time for the Guardians and Hedges to part ways after a very productive relationship.
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