Offseason In Review: Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians kept their longtime ace but traded their everyday first baseman ahead of his final season of club control. Their offseason featured a blend of creative trades to trim payroll and acquire controllable talent, plus some short-term spending on veterans to replace some of the big leaguers they traded away. It was a vintage Cleveland offseason that should keep them in the mix in what’ll be a tightly contested AL Central.

Major League Signings

• Shane Bieber, RHP: Two years, $26MM (opt-out after 2025 season)
• Carlos Santana, 1B: One year, $12MM
• Paul Sewald, RHP: One year, $7MM (includes buyout on 2026 mutual option)
• Jakob Junis, RHP: One year, $4.5MM
• Austin Hedges, C: One year, $4MM
• John Means, LHP: One year, $1MM (club has $6MM option for 2026, no buyout)

2025 spending: $37.5MM
Total spending: $54.5MM

Option Decisions

• None

Trades and Waiver Claims

• Acquired RHP Slade Cecconi and Competitive Balance Draft Pick (Round B) from D-backs in exchange for 1B Josh Naylor
• Acquired 1B Spencer Horwitz and OF Nick Mitchell from Blue Jays in exchange for 2B Andres Gimenez and RHP Nick Sandlin
• Acquired RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Josh Hartle and LHP Michael Kennedy from Pirates in exchange for 1B Spencer Horwitz
• Traded RHP Eli Morgan to Cubs in exchange for OF Alfonsin Rosario
• Traded RHP Peter Strzelecki to Pirates in exchange for cash
• Traded OF Myles Straw to Blue Jays in exchange for PTBNL

Notable Minor League Signings

• Vince Velasquez, Kolby Allard, Parker Mushinski, George Valera (re-signed), Luis Frias, Riley Pint, Dom Nunez

Extensions

• None

Notable Losses

• Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb, Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, Myles Straw, Peter Strzelecki, James Karinchak (non-tendered), Pedro Avila (outrighted, elected free agency)

The Guardians entered the 2024-25 offseason looking to bolster a roster that made an unexpected run to the American League Championship Series. Cleveland faced decisions on some players with dwindling club control and, as is always the case, some notable payroll limitations. In a departure from most offseasons, however, the Guards found themselves in an unfamiliar position: needing to acquire starting pitching.

Cleveland has emerged as one of the industry leaders in maximizing its rotation output. At times, it feels as though they have an almost magical ability to produce quality starting pitchers out of thin air. In fact, when the Guardians signed righty Ben Lively to a one-year, $800K deal in the 2023-24 offseason, it was the first time they’d signed any free agent starter to a major league contract since inking Gavin Floyd back in 2014. Midway through the 2024 season, they did so again, signing Matthew Boyd to a major league contract.

Both moves worked out splendidly. Boyd started eight games down the stretch and produced a sub-3.00 ERA. Lively finished second on the club with 151 innings and notched a 3.81 ERA and stuck with the club as an arbitration-eligible player. He’ll be back in the 2025 rotation. Boyd, however, hit free agency and did so alongside former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber and trade deadline acquisition Alex Cobb.