3 Guardians Who Will Be Replaced By Free Agent Signings

The Guardians failed to make the playoffs in 2023, meaning these three players bust be replaced by free agents to turn things around next season.

Cam Gallagher is one of three Cleveland Guardians who must be replaced by a free-agent signing during the MLB offseason. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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2. Shane Bieber

There's a good chance that the 2024 could be the Guardians' first in seven years without Shane Bieber on the mound. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner was reportedly shopped around ahead of the trade deadline before an elbow injury landed him on the injured list.

Now that the offseason is here, the trade rumors of sparked back up again.

It wouldn't be shocking if the Guardians moved on from their ace. Bieber is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 campaign and isn't guaranteed to return. Considering how he just finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting in 2021, there's a good chance that there are interested parties out there.

Having said that, the Guardians can replace Bieber with a free-agent option if he is moved. There isn't a shortage of rotational arms on the open market, including big names like Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw to more affordable options like James Paxton and Jack Flaherty.

Assuming that Bieber does get traded, there's no excuse for Chernoff not to sign a solid replacement. Otherwise, the Guardians might not have one of the better AL starting rotations come the spring.

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