The Cleveland Guardians do more with less.
Consistently, the Guards find themselves in contention despite not doing a whole lot of work on the free agent market. They develop players well and make timely trades.
It's still pretty striking when you look at just how little the Guardians do on the free agent market, though.
This post on X on Friday sums it up:
Free Agent hitters the Cleveland Guardians have signed the last 3 offseasons combined:
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) December 12, 2025
2026: Austin Hedges
2025: Carlos Santana, Austin Hedges
2024: Austin Hedges
It's so pathetic it doesn't even seem real..
MORE: Christian Yelich shows his puppy a proper appreciation of Tavon Austin
That's really it.
Cleveland could obviously still sign more hitters this offseason to add to the list, and hopefully they do.
But that's three seasons in a row of bringing back the solid clubhouse presence and brutal bat that is Austin Hedges, and one aging Carlos Santana thrown in there.
It's hard to believe that there's been that little investment financially in their lineup, but this is evidently who the Guardians are at this point. And it's painful to look at.
More MLB news:
- Dodgers' payroll is even more loaded with Edwin Diaz
- It's a good day to remember Bob Feller's brilliance and his time in the U.S. Navy
- How Aroldis Chapman is able to pitch for Great Britain in the WBC
- What the Kyle Schwarber signing means for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Poetic paragraph reveals Cody Bellinger's free agent landing spots
- Royals keep Maikel Garcia around for a long time