Guardians arbitration-eligible players: who should Cleveland bring back?

Winter is coming, and so are arbitration hearings. The Cleveland Guardians have eight players who are eligible for arbitration this offseason, but which players are worth negotiating with and which are better off getting cut?

The most expensive, and arguably, most important of the bunch is Steven Kwan. The two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner has an arbitration tag of $8.5 million. Now, the team was on the brink of trading Kwan at the deadline when the season seemed doomed. Why resign him now? Is he worth that price tag? Let us compare.

According to Spotrac, in terms of AAV, Kwan making $8.5 million would place him between Cedric Mullins ($8.725 million) and Luis Robert Jr. ($8.33 million). You could argue that Kwan is better, or at least more accomplished, than Robert Jr. and Mullins. Robert Jr. has won one Gold Glove (2020) and made one All-Star team (2023). Mullins only has one All-Star appearance on his resume, back in 2021. 

In what can be considered an off year, Kwan still hit .272, had the 13th most hits in MLB (170), and is a Gold Glove finalist. Hard to argue that Kwan is not worth the price tag.

Nolan Jones had a disappointing first season back with the Guardians. He hit a meager .211 and only hit five home runs and had a negative WAR. His arbitration price projects around $2 million, so is he worth it? A breakout player in 2023 with the Rockies, Jones hasn’t sniffed anything close to those numbers since. In 2023, he hit 20 home runs and had a .297 average. He has hit eight home runs in the two years since. Meanwhile, trade partner Tyler Freeman batted .281 for the Rockies this season.

David Fry has an arbitration price tag projected around $1.25 million this season. After missing most of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Fry really struggled.

The lefty masher hit only .171 in 146 at-bats this season. Six of his eight home runs did come off lefty pitching, but his batting average remained terrible at .177. Is a utility player that can only play against left-handed pitching worthy of a roster spot? Left-handed specialists are valuable, and Fry is beloved in the clubhouse. The $1.25 million price tag may just be worth it for a glue guy like Fry.

Lastly, we have a trio of pitchers: Ben Lively ($2.5 million), Matt Festa ($1.25 million), and Kolby Allard ($2 million). Lively will be coming off serious right elbow surgery, but did have a 3.22 ERA in nine starts this season, and a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts in 2024. 

Festa appeared in a career high 63 games this season, pitching to a 4.12 ERA and had a record of 5-4. An aging reliever coming off a career year can be risky, but reliable veterans are always valuable i their own ways.

Allard also pitched a career high of games with 33. He even started twice for the Guardians. Allard was highly effective all year, pitching to a 2.63 ERA, by far a career best. Only 28 years old, Allard may be worth a shot at this price if he continues to develop like he did this past year under this staff.

After the Guardians’ miraculous AL Central comeback, it is much more likely the team tries to keep their core players and build around them than sell off pieces like many thought would be the case at the trade deadline. Holding onto them proved worthwhile, and that is likely going to be the mindset for this front office going into this year, evidenced by the Austin Hedges contract.