The Cleveland Guardians made it clear this season that they are truly on the cusp of finally ending the longest active World Series drought in MLB. The pain of falling in six games in the ALCS to the Tampa Bay Rays is still fresh, but when the wound heals, the fans will see clearly that if the young guys can take the next step and the Guardians can retain most of the key veterans, they could get over the hump in 2027.
It wouldn’t hurt so bad if the team didn’t have what it takes. Because of all the young talent, the Guardians don’t have many difficult questions to answer this offseason since most of the roster will be back, though there are a couple of key free agents whose future is uncertain.
In a recent article for Cleveland.com, Paul Hoynes touched on the futures of Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe. He expressed doubt that they’d return by citing how free agents don’t typically return to Cleveland, though he said he’d love to see them both come back.
“You haven’t been paying attention. Unless their name is Austin Hedges, free agents don’t return to Cleveland. Now there’s even a question about Hedges returning for 2027. That being said, I’d love to see them re-sign Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe,” Hoynes wrote.
Griffin, Lowe, and Austin Hedges are the team’s most notable free agents, and as Hoynes noted, Hedges has already signed multiple contracts to return to Cleveland and wouldn’t surprise anyone if he did so again. Griffin was a big splash at the deadline and helped fortify this starting rotation during what was a breakout year for the lefty while Lowe helped mitigate the disappointing Rhys Hoskins signing.
Griffin had a 5.19 ERA in his nine starts for Cleveland in the regular season and a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 innings in the postseason. However, committing to him comes with risk since prior to 2026, he had just 14.1 career innings under his belt, all of which came prior to the 2022 season. Nobody expected 31 starts and a 3.60 ERA from him this season and it’s fair to question whether or not he can repeat that year over year.
Lowe didn’t put up big numbers after coming over at the deadline from the Cincinnati Reds, but his return would be welcomed as a potential bridge until top prospect Ralphy Velazquez is ready to take over at first base. He is a reliable veteran bat who likely won’t cost a ton to retain, so if the front office wants him back, he could be a more attainable option as opposed to Griffin.
This front office rarely spends much and it has to think about next offseason when Steven Kwan and Jo Adell are both set to hit free agency. It would be unfortunate to lose Griffin after just nine starts, but that’s an unfortunate reality of this business sometimes.
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