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3 Guardians Leaving Cleveland in the New Year

With the calendar officially flipping to 2025, these three Guardians might not be on the team for the entire year.

By Jovan Alford

Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) gets a hit in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) gets a hit in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images
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3. Austin Hedges

Even though the Guardians have their starting catcher in Bo Naylor, Cleveland still decided to bring back Hedges for one more year.

Cleveland re-signed the veteran catcher to another one-year, $4 million deal. Hedges was the backup behind the plate last season, appearing in 66 games. 

The veteran catcher did not do much at the plate in his first season with the Guardians, hitting a mediocre .152 with two home runs and 15 RBI.

He was a lot net negative in October, slashing .083/.214/.167 in eight games. Hedges is hitting .186 for his career, which isn’t much to be excited about.

However, with David Fry working his way back from shoulder surgery and only DH’ing when he returns during the 2025 season, Hedges might see more work behind the plate. 

Last season, Fry was named to his first MLB All-Star Game. He played 23 games at catcher (14 starts), 20 at first base, 20 in the outfield (left and right field), and four at third base. 

The third-year super utilityman likely won’t play the field until 2026, putting more responsibility on Naylor and Hedges. Hedges isn’t talented offensively but has been a solid defensive catcher, which has helped him have a long career.

Last season, the veteran allowed 30 stolen bases but was credited with eight caught stealing, giving him a caught-stealing percentage of 21.1. The league average was 21.8%, so Hedges did a tremendous job getting runners out. 

Nevertheless, if Hedges continues to call a solid game and provide quality defense behind the plate, the Guardians might bring him back for 2026. However, with only a $4 million price tag, Cleveland won’t be pressed to move on if it’s not working out.

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