Even if you thought that the Cleveland Guardians weren’t built to win a World Series, you had to be surprised with how their exit from the ALCS at the hand of the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees went down after it ultimately concluded with a 5-2 extra-innings loss in Game 5 on Saturday night.
The Guardians bullpen was truly a dominant force throughout the season, headlined by Emmanuel Clase but loaded with talent. Cleveland’s bullpen led MLB with a 2.57 ERA in the regular season, dwarfing the 3.11 of the Brewers, who had the second-best mark in that statistical category. So to see that balloon to a 3.57 in the postseason for the Guards was appalling — especially with Clase getting shelled by the Yankees.
But that’s baseball, the cruel, unrelenting sport that we see this all the time in. Now the Guardians will be watching the World Series from home and having to think about next year. But when some of the players from this year’s team think about 2025, they should be thinking about somewhere other than Cleveland because these three pending free agents won’t be back with the Guardians next year after this playoff exit.
3. Alex Cobb was a trade deadline bust the Guardains won’t bring back
When the Guardians acquired veteran right-hander Alex Cobb from San Francisco at the trade deadline, it seemed like an exceptionally savvy move for a small-market team. Cobb was relatively inexpensive, on an expiring deal, and appeared to be on his way back from an injury that sidelined him for the first half of the season to help Cleveland make a push.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. Cobb only made three regular-season starts for the Guards and, though that was for a 2.76 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, injuries continued to keep him off the mound. Then he got the ball in the postseason and, well, it didn’t go too well as the veteran gave up two runs in 3.0 innings an ALDS loss to the Tigers and then conceding three runs in 2.2 innings in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees.
Now with his contract expiring, it seems unlikely that the Guardians will aim to continue investing in the veteran. At 37 years old and following a season wherein health was a major issue, that seems like a risky investment for Cleveland to be making at best, so it’s likely this trade is barely a footnote in the pitcher’s career as well as the Guards’ ledger.
2. Austin Hedges has seen the last of Cleveland
Frankly, the Guardians should send veteran catcher Austin Hedges packing for his freezing-cold take on Emmanuel Clase that ultimately turned out to be a jinx for the All-Star closer in the ALCS. But beyond that, Hedges is set to become a free agent and there really isn’t any justifiable baseball reason that he should be brought back into the fold by this organization.
Hedges has been a fine defender in his career which continued in Cleveland but his offense also stayed consistent in that he was a liability at the dish. In 66 regular season games, he slashed a dismal .152/.203/.220 which somehow got even worse across eight playoff appearances at .083/.214/.167. That’s just not going to get it done.
If the Guardians didn’t have any other options, perhaps there would be a case to bring Hedges back for his experience behind the plate. However, with young Bo Naylor rising into a better offensive option with comparably good defense, there’s simply no reason or room to bring Hedges back into the fray.
1. Shane Bieber barely played in 2024 and won’t play in the Guards in 2025
This one is complicated, this one is going to sting, but this is the reality of the Cleveland Guardians: The 2023 season was the last time the organization will see former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber pitch for them.
Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery after just two appearances in the 2024 season, meaning he barley took the mound in the final year of his contract as he’s now out of team control. And in an ideal world, Cleveland would re-sign the veteran right-handed hurler. Why wouldn’t they want that? Over 136 career appearances, Bieber posted a 3.22 ERA and 1.115 WHIP. That he was consistently at that level is ridiculously good and something any team in MLB would want.
Unfortunately, that’s the problem. For as good as the Guardians have been in franchise history, the one thing you can bank on is they will likely stick to the formula. They don’t pay big money in free agents in this modern era of spending and Bieber, even coming off of the injury, will be exactly that. He should garner interest from the deep pockets of organizations like the Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers and many others. That’s not an auction hall that Cleveland can hang in, as sad as that may be.
It’s quite disappointing that the last image we’ll have of Bieber with the Guards is his injury. But at the end of the day, the reality of what this organization is as a small-market team and the market for the former Cy Young winner means he’ll be pitching somewhere else when he returns to the mound.
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