The Cleveland Guardians don't spend the offseason making big splashes in free agency.
But they do have some subtle moves every year that end up helping the club in the long run.
They may have made the latest of these on Tuesday. Guards Insider reported that the Guardians have signed Carter Kieboom to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.
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For those who follow prospect lists, Kieboom's name should be familiar.
He was a first-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Nationals out of Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia.
As he rose through the Nats' system, he also rose up prospect lists. Kieboom was as high as a top-20 prospect in the sport by multiple rankings during his minor league career.
He made his MLB debut in 2019 and struggled, though, going just 5-for-39. The next season, he went 20-for-99 in the majors. He never really found a groove.
Kieboom played parts of four years for the Nationals, batting just.199.
He left their organization after the 2024 season and signed with the Angels. He played in just three MLB games in 2025, going 2-for-8 with an RBI.
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Kieboom spent the majority of 2025 at Triple-A Salt Lake, and he still showed promise there, hitting.319 with an.817 OPS and 11 steals in 12 attempts.
Still just 28 years old, Kieboom has a lot of his contact-hitting skills, and he can play all over the infield.
The Guardians won't necessarily be counting on Kieboom, and they have a variety of versatile infielders at the upper end of the organization.
But this is a chance for Cleveland to hit on a post-hype player, and it's a chance for Kieboom to prove he belongs. It could work out nicely.
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