Cleveland keeps turning out the kind of baseball minds other teams want to hire, and the latest one to leave is Connor Watson.
Watson spent two years in the Guardians’ hitting development program at their Arizona facility, and now he’s moving on to Houston. The Astros have named him director of hitting for their entire organization. He’s the newest name in a familiar line, joining Victor Rodriguez, who worked five seasons as an assistant hitting coach in Cleveland before eventually becoming Houston’s top hitting coach.
That kind of move has become part of the story around the Guardians. As Joe Noga said on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, the club is “experiencing a little bit of a brain drain here.
Coaches, executives, always guys in the front office in Cleveland are on the lists of several teams that looking to fill jobs. Guys from Cleveland go on to take higher positions with other organizations.”
Watson’s exit isn’t the surprise. It’s the pattern behind it that stands out. Cleveland has built a reputation for developing coaches, executives and support staff who end up landing bigger jobs elsewhere, often with larger organizations ready to offer more money and a bigger title.
Paul Hoynes laid out why that keeps happening: “Their success is due largely to drafting well, developing well and getting players to the big leagues who are ready to contribute right away. They’ve done it year after year on a strict budget. And that draws attention from the 29 other organizations in the big leagues.”
When one team keeps beating the odds on payroll, the rest of the league starts looking closely at who’s making it work. In Cleveland, a lot of that credit goes to the people behind the scenes.
The concern isn’t limited to the hitting side, either. With the A’s Houston, and the Angels all looking to fill managerial and front-office openings this offseason, more Guardians names could enter the mix.
Hoynes pointed to assistant GM Matt Forman, who was a finalist for the Rockies’ GM job last year. On the pitching side, Brad Goldberg and Joe Torres - both key assistants to pitching coach Carl Willis - could also attract real interest.
For now, the Guardians have held onto some of their biggest names. Stephen Vogt, who had been loosely tied to Seattle’s managerial opening, is staying put.
Willis, whose annual will-he-or-won’t-he retirement question has become something of a Cleveland ritual, is reportedly back and energized. Those are important keeps for a staff that has become one of the sport’s most respected.
Even so, the turnover risk never really goes away. Noga noted that Goldberg looks like a natural successor if Willis eventually steps aside, a sign the organization has been thinking ahead.
That kind of continuity doesn’t just happen. It has to be planned.
Hoynes brought the whole discussion back to the bigger issue. Asked whether losing a key staff member or not adding offense was the heavier offseason concern, he made his view plain: “The Guardians have a deep bench when it comes to executives and coaches and instructors.
It’s the next man up syndrome there. But adding talent is the key to me.”
So yes, the Guardians are dealing with the same thing a lot of smart organizations face: people they develop keep getting poached. But that’s also proof the pipeline is real. The bigger question now is whether Cleveland can add the offense it still needs.
In Other News...
Guardians May Need To Settle Three Important 2027 Role Questions
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Slade Cecconi and Myles Kwan are part of the same conversation for Cleveland, with each projected to be used in a way that better fits the teams needs than a simple continuation of what came before. Cecconi could wind up in the bullpen on a permanent basis, while Kwan may be best deployed in center field to maximize what he brings defensively. None of those decisions is final yet, but they are the sort of role questions the Guardians will likely need to settle as they keep shaping the roster for the seasons ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Hedges Just Gave Cleveland Fans A Reason To Worry
Austin Hedges gave Cleveland plenty to think about this past season, and not just because of what he did behind the plate. The veteran catcher turned in his best offensive year in 2026, giving the Guardians a more complete version of a player who has long been valued for his defense, game-calling and presence in the clubhouse.
Now the bigger question is whether Cleveland gets another run with him at all. Hedges is headed toward free agency after the 2026 season, with the market opening Nov. 2, and the Guardians do at least have some organizational depth at catcher in Kody Huff and Cooper Ingle. Even so, a strong season from Hedges could make him appealing to another club, which is exactly why this situation bears watching. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face Two Offseason Calls That Could Reshape The Roster
The Guardians offseason has already turned to the familiar balancing act of deciding which pieces from a deep run are worth keeping and which ones fit better as the roster keeps evolving. After the ALCS loss, Cleveland has two free agents in Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe, and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti made clear the club is still in contact with both players. It is the kind of early winter business that can quietly shape the teams next step as much as any splashier move.
Griffins case is especially interesting because his regular season with Cleveland was rocky, but he settled in when the games mattered most, giving the front office something to weigh beyond the full-season line. Lowe brings a different kind of conversation, with his results ranging more unevenly and his path clouded by competition already on the roster. Neither situation is settled yet, which is why these are more than routine free-agent notes for a team trying to build on a postseason that fell just short. [Read more 🡒]