Guardians may cut ties with David Fry over $1.2 million contract decision

Billy Heyen

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Guardians may cut ties with David Fry over $1.2 million contract decision image

The Cleveland Guardians wouldn't, in their hearts, want to get David Fry.

But they've got a very real decision to make on the fan favorite this week.

Friday is MLB's non-tender deadline. That pertains to players who are eligible for salary arbitration this offseason. A club has to essentially determine whether it is going to be pursuing the arbitration process (or a contract extension) with a player, or not.

If a team hasn't decided to go that route by Friday, they will then "non-tender" a player, meaning there's no contract for next season and that player goes into free agency.

Fry is in that boat, and MLB Trade Rumors lists him as a realistic non-tender candidate.

That same website, MLBTR, projects Fry to earn $1.2 million in arbitration, which is not a large expense.

But the problem is that Fry was essentially unplayable in 2025. He finished with negative-0.8 Wins Above Replacement.

Fry batted just.171 with an OPS of.592.

And because he was coming off an injury to his throwing elbow, he couldn't play in the field at all.

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Do the Guardians have a spot in the field for Fry going forward? Certainly not at catcher or first base, even if his arm is OK.

He is, at best, a short-sided platoon bat who plays against left-handed pitching. 

There's sentimentality to Fry, of course, given his penchant for hitting a few massive home runs in recent Guardians history.

But in totality, he could be tough to fit onto the roster. 

The Guardians may keep him for now to keep things simple, but Fry's then going to have to work in the spring to make it onto the big club.

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Staff Writer