2024-25 MLB Offseason Recap: Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians made the ALCS in 2024 in what was a whirlwind season for the reigning AL Central champions. But weeks after the Guardians were eliminated by the Yankees, Cleveland needed to make difficult roster decisions.

Notable Additions

• SP/RP Slade Cecconi (-1.1 bWAR in 2024)
• SP John Means (0.7 bWAR)
• SP Luis L. Ortiz (3.0 bWAR)
• 1B Carlos Santana (2.5 bWAR)
• RP Paul Sewald (0.2 bWAR)

Cleveland made several starting pitcher acquisitions, highlighted by Luis L. Ortiz and John Means.

Means is a former All-Star who’s still recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last summer. The left-hander is a solid pitcher who can overwhelm hitters upstairs despite a slower fastball, thanks to movement and mirroring it off his changeup.

However, the Guardians won’t have him to begin 2025. He’ll be one of several Cleveland pitchers on the shelf, as Shane Bieber is also recovering from UCL reconstruction surgery.

Ortiz, meanwhile, is a very different pitcher. The 26-year-old is a hard-throwing righty with a low arm slot, a true sinker, and the ability to fill the zone and work hitters with a myriad of different offerings.

He’ll slot into a rotation that didn’t have much in the way of consistency in 2024. Bieber got hurt early on in the season, while Triston McKenzie and Gavin Williams struggled to avoid making mistakes both in and out of the zone. It led Cleveland to relying on the likes of Carlos Carrasco and Ben Lively to eat innings.

As for the bullpen, the Guardians signed former D-Backs closer Paul Sewald to a one-year deal.

Cleveland brought back Carlos Santana for his third run in Ohio this past winter. Santana’s aged very well, as the 38-year-old won a Gold Glove at first base in 2024 and blasted 23 home runs for the second-straight season.

Notable Losses

• SP Matthew Boyd (0.7 bWAR)
• 2B Andres Gimenez (4.0 bWAR)
• RP Eli Morgan (1.1 bWAR)
• 1B Josh Naylor (1.5 bWAR)
• RP Nick Sandlin (-0.1 bWAR)

As has become the Guardians’ mantra, the front office moved off some soon-to-be expensive pieces off this past winter.

Josh Naylor hit a career-best 31 home runs last year for the Guardians. Naylor was one of Cleveland’s primary run producers but the issue with him was that he could hit the market next winter. And with Kyle Manzardo on the roster, Cleveland had an obvious in-house replacement candidate.

Naylor was traded to the Diamondbacks, as part of a package that included the aforementioned Slade Cecconi.

Andres Gimenez signed a seven-year, $106.5MM extension two years ago with Cleveland. However, as noted in December, most of that money wasn’t set to kick in until 2025. The Guardians traded Gimenez to Toronto along with Nick Sandlin for a package highlighted by Spencer Horwitz, subsequently moved to Pittsburgh.

Gimenez was a savvy defender at second, and one who could work his way on base. Because of that, his loss will sting in the interim. But, with Travis Bazzana likely a year away from MLB action, the loss might not sting for too long.

As for Sandlin, he was one of two notable relievers to be moved off this winter. Cleveland traded Eli Morgan to the Cubs.

If there’s one thing the Guardians have plenty of, it’s relievers. Cleveland’s bullpen was arguably the highlight of their 2024 team, and was incredibly important for a team that didn’t have consistent starting pitching. What more, the Guardians saw prospects Erik Sabrowski and Andrew Walters ascend to the MLB level and thrive.

Getting back to the rotation, the Guardians didn’t re-sign Matthew Boyd, who was sharp down the stretch for Cleveland. Boyd netted himself a multi-year deal with the Cubs.

What to Expect in 2025

The 2025 campaign could go in a couple of different ways for Cleveland. One way is the Guardians doing exactly what the team did in 2024: squeaking out wins thanks to clutch hitting and timely pitching.

However, the Guardians could also slide in what will be a competitive AL Central.

Cleveland’s rotation isn’t dominant on paper, as aside from Tanner Bibee, all of their tentative rotation arms have average to slightly above-average stuff. And offensively, the Guardians will need contributions from names who are not Steven Kwan or Jose Ramirez.

It doesn’t help that Cleveland won’t have a healthy team to begin 2025. Aside from Bieber and Means, AL All-Star utilityman David Fry won’t be available to start the season, as he recovers from offseason surgery.