The Guardians’ offseason questions are already starting to pile up, and Austin Hedges is right back at the center of them.
Asked whether Cleveland has shut the door on bringing Hedges back, the answer from Hoynsie was to wait and see how the free-agent market develops first. If Hedges is not in the picture, Patrick Bailey is projected to handle the starting catcher job, with David Fry, Cooper Ingle and Kody Huff in the mix for the backup role. Huff, in fact, was with the big-league club during Cleveland’s postseason run.
Another Guardians question circling the roster involves Kyle Manzardo and Ralphy Velazquez. The answer there was a firm yes: Manzardo still has a path to regular at-bats at first base or designated hitter in 2027.
He’s young, has options and has already hit 40 home runs in less than two seasons in the majors. For a team like the Guardians, that kind of affordable power is tough to walk away from.
Velazquez, meanwhile, can start next season at Triple-A Columbus without issue. He’s on the fast track to Cleveland either way.
The 2027 labor picture is also hanging over everything. If there’s a lockout, minor leaguers who are not on the 40-man roster can still report to mini camps or spring training on schedule and play their regular seasons on schedule. Players on the 40-man roster would be locked out.
As for the players already caught in MLB’s suspended-list limbo, the legal process comes first. Once that wraps up, MLB will have its turn to judge Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, the two Guardians pitchers indicted by federal authorities in a pitch-fixing scheme tied to themselves and gamblers.
The labor fight itself could get uglier if owners push hard for a salary cap. If they do, the 2027 season could end up altered in some way. And this group of players hasn’t been through a work stoppage like the ones that came before them, which makes the next round of labor tension feel a little different.
Cleveland’s payroll is another topic the club won’t touch. The organization has been guarded about money, and that figure is likely to be even more protected with the basic agreement set to expire and a lockout looming. Still, the Guardians have a strong financial case to point to: more than 2 million fans for the third straight year, a third straight AL Central title and a second deep postseason run in the last three seasons.
When it comes to their free agents, though, history is history. Unless the player is Austin Hedges, free agents do not usually come back to Cleveland.
Even Hedges is no sure thing now for 2027. If the Guardians do bring anyone back, Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe are the two names Hoynsie would like to see re-signed.
Chris Antonetti was also asked about the pressure to do something before the basic agreement expires, and he said he did not feel extra pressure. He believes the Guardians will be able to add to the team regardless of the rules in place.
And on the question of managers and what they can or can’t say during the season, the point was simple: they have to learn to play that game. Every manager has done it, and everyone around the team knows when it’s happening.
In Other News...
Astros Just Poached A Guardians Hitting Mind Fans Should Notice
The Astros have added another familiar name from Clevelands player-development pipeline, hiring Conner Watson as their new director of hitting. Watson spent the past two seasons as the Guardians assistant director of hitting development, a role that put him in the middle of one of baseballs more closely watched organizational systems for turning raw tools into big league production.
For Cleveland, it is another reminder that its development staff remains a target for clubs looking to sharpen their own infrastructure. Houstons front office has been active on that front, bringing in Watson after recently naming Spencer Medick as director of pitching, and it is doing so while the Astros are still trying to fill both their general manager and manager openings. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Made Their First Base Direction Pretty Clear
Rhys Hoskins gave the Guardians a useful veteran bat after arriving on a minor league deal and earning a spot on the roster, but his stint in Cleveland never really changed the long-term picture at first base. He appeared in 95 games and supplied 13 home runs, yet the overall offensive return fell short of expectations, leaving the club where it has been leaning for a while now: toward the younger core.
With Hoskins now a free agent, the path forward at first base looks even clearer for Cleveland. The organization is expected to keep prioritizing left-handed, developing hitters such as Ralphy Velazquez and Kyle Manzardo, a sign that the Guardians are more interested in building around their next wave than revisiting a short-term fix. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Stockpiling Pitching With Another Intriguing Young Arm
The Guardians have added another arm to their growing international pipeline, officially signing 17-year-old left-hander Nerio Reyes out of Venezuela. Reyes trained at CJB Academy in Maracaibo, and his arrival fits neatly with Clevelands long-running habit of betting on young pitchers with upside and room to develop.
Reyes is expected to make his professional debut in the 2027 season in the Dominican Summer League, giving the organization time to let him grow into his body and his craft. For a club that has steadily leaned into finding and shaping pitching talent from Venezuela, this is another reminder that the Guardians are still building the same way, one young arm at a time. [Read more 🡒]