The Cleveland Guardians won the American League Central, but they won’t be playing the Houston Astros for the AL pennant, falling to the New York Yankees in Game 5 of a hard-fought division series.
So what’s next for the Guardians after exiting the 2022 MLB playoffs? Here are their most notable free agents, potential trade candidates — and three key questions facing Cleveland as it heads into 2023 and beyond.
Notable free agents: C Austin Hedges
As baseball’s youngest team, most of the Guardians’ roster consists of players still in their controllable seasons. Plus, franchise cornerstone Jose Ramirez has been signed for the long term. So the free agent concerns for the club are very mild.
Trade candidates: SP Shane Bieber, SS Amed Rosario
The Guardians’ ability to produce quality pitching out of their scouting and development system continues to be among the best in baseball. Once again Cleveland was able to put together a postseason club even though big names of the recent past like Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger and Trevor Bauer were pitching elsewhere or not at all. That makes Bieber’s situation interesting. Is he the one guy the Guardians are going to try to lock up? Well, he’s nearing the end of his arbitration window, so if that’s not the case, now would be the time to move him. Yet it feels like an odd thing to do when you have just won your division, so perhaps Cleveland will let it ride, and if it falls off during the first half of next season, the Guardians can see what Bieber could yield on the trade market around the deadline. Or, even better, they could just sign him up to serve as the ace of their rotation for years to come.
Extension candidates: Bieber, SP Triston McKenzie, 2B Andres Gimenez
We addressed Bieber above, so the focus here is on two of the Guardians’ young breakout players, McKenzie and Gimenez. Both proved to be foundation-type producers in 2023, and they are also both early enough in their service-time windows that trying to sign them beyond their controllable seasons is something the Guardians could explore.
1. How much longer can Terry Francona keep managing?
When Francona first took over as Cleveland’s manager, it felt like it was going to be difficult to think of him as anything other than the World Series-winning manager of the Boston Red Sox. Years later, Francona has carved out his own considerable place in Cleveland sports history. And the only thing missing from his tenure to match what he did in Boston is to lead the Guardians to a World Series championship. Which of course would mark the second time Tito guided a team to an epic drought-breaking championship. But he also has had a few health-related absences in recent years, and you do wonder how long he can keep going, although he has recently suggested that he’ll be back in 2023. One thing is for certain: After leading baseball’s youngest team to the playoffs, there is no question Francona is still as good as anyone in the game at what he does.
2. Will the Guardians add a middle-of-the-order bat?
The Guardians have evolved a great deal over recent years. A lineup that was once built upon three-true-outcomes baseball is now one that features speed, contact hitting and superior defense. But there were too many periods this season when the Guardians failed to score enough runs to keep the wins flowing. Adding a middle-of-the-lineup thumper or two who can spend the majority of his time at DH and first base seems like an obvious move. But signing true impact hitters of that sort is expensive. Is Cleveland willing to make that kind of splash? If so, that might complete the puzzle.
3. What does the future hold for Rosario?
Rosario has not disappointed during his time in Cleveland after being one of the key components of the Francisco Lindor and Carrasco trade with the Mets. He hasn’t had quite the same impact as his fellow former Met, Gimenez, but that is far from an insult, as it is simply a way of saying he did not produce an MVP-type season as Gimenez did. But the Guardians are deep in infield prospects who are either early in their big league career or are very close to breaking in. Rosario is entering his final year of arbitration, so the Guardians will have to figure out whether they want to try to keep him around for the long term or if his best value to the club is to leverage an excellent 2022 season into future value via a trade.
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