The Cleveland Guardians are already seeing pieces of their pitching depth peel away as free agency opens, with right-handers Connor Brogdon and Carlos Hernandez both electing to test the market.
The news arrived Thursday morning, reported by Guardians Prospective, just days after Cleveland’s season ended with a Game 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series. The club fell short of title contention, and the focus has now shifted to what the roster might look like next year.
Brogdon’s path through the organization was a short and winding one. Cleveland signed him in December to a one-year, $900,000 deal, then designated him for assignment in May. He accepted a Triple-A assignment and stayed in the minors as organizational depth before getting another shot in September.
That look in the majors was brief. Brogdon was designated for assignment again on September 23, 10 days after returning, and he is now moving on into free agency. In 16 innings with Cleveland, he posted a 5.06 ERA and finished last on the team in fWAR at minus-0.3.
Hernandez’s time with the Guardians followed a different route. Cleveland claimed him off waivers from the Detroit Tigers last summer, later lost him when he elected free agency after being DFA’d, then brought him back on a minor league contract in November.
His second stint in the organization also turned quickly. The Guardians selected his contract on September 1, 2026, designated him for assignment on the 4th, and sent him back to Triple-A before he decided to look elsewhere. Hernandez has more than 300 innings of MLB experience, mostly with the Kansas City Royals, but he worked only three innings for Cleveland this season and finished with a 6.00 ERA.
Neither move necessarily closes the door for good. One or both pitchers could still wind up back in Cleveland on minor league deals, depending on how the market develops.
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