The Cleveland Guardians are looking for a new starting catcher it appears

Austin Hedges is no longer under contract with the Cleveland Guardians.

The Cleveland Guardians had a 2022 season to remember. They were a squad built by youth and powered by talent. The team came up short in the playoffs, getting bounced in the second round, and now the team is looking toward 2023 to build off that success.

The Guardians are hoping to do that by bringing back most of their active roster for the 2023 season. This good news is only marred slightly by the fact that one player, Austin Hedges, will not return to the squad. Thus confirming the possibility that the team will indeed be looking for a new starter in 2023 behind the plate.

Hedges was not what was advertised. The Guardians acquired Hedges as part of the Mike Clevinger trade and was thought to be the replacement for Roberto Perez. Perez was never a great hitter but did have power that the team could see on occasion. Hedges lacked even that barest of qualities.

He was a very solid defensive catcher, however. Not a Gold Glover caliber guy, so that was a strike against him, especially considering Perez was.

Austin Hedges is leaving a hole in the Cleveland Guardians that was never truly filled

The nicest thing one can say about Hedges is that he was never an issue defensively. He was constantly killing rallies, and could never get a hit, and even though guys like Myles Straw struggled to hit at times as well, they still found a way on base. Especially Straw.

Worst yet, there’s no one in the pipeline ready to go. Luke Maile’s contract is over, and he would have been preferred to start over Hedges in 2023 regardless and he’s also turning 32. Which is old in catcher’s years. Rookie Bryan Lavastida was not any better, in fact despite his strong 2021 campaign in the minors, Lavastida came in and was utterly disappointed. Maybe he can bounce back in 2023 as the team’s full-time starter but no one is holding their breath.

The “hope” of the position falls onto Bo Naylor, Josh Naylor’s little brother. Bo Naylor is one of the better prospects in all of baseball and may be the team’s best all-around prospect ever in pure talent.

He was called up, albeit just briefly, for eight at-bats over five games and went 0-8. He had a solid year in AA-Akron and AAA-Columbus, going for a combined .263/.392/.496 and an OPS of .889 while hitting 21 home runs, 26 doubles, and 68 RBIs while walking 82 times. He did strike out 121 times in 415 at-bats, however. So there is room for improvement.

At just 22, Naylor is not a guy the team needs to rush and may be looking at a full year in Triple-A depending on what they do in free agency.