Cleveland Guardians: 3 players to target in free agency this offseason

3 players the Cleveland Guardians should target in free agency

The 2021 season is coming to an end for the Cleveland Indians, with just three games remaining on the road in Arlington and the Tribe needing a sweep of the Rangers to avoid their first sub-.500 season since 2012. Frankly, it’s impressive they’re in this situation to begin with between the injuries, the injuries, the injuries and DeMarlo Hale’s questionable management in lieu of Terry Francona.

Despite all of the negatives to this season, several players and positions have their near-term future sorted out, and Paul Dolan has pledged to spend on payroll this offseason to make the first season as the Cleveland Guardians a competitive one.

Even then, the roster has more questions than answers, and a pledge to spend money on a team with an incredible amount of young talent still pre-arbitration could very well mean extensions for key stars Shane Bieber and Jose Ramirez while thrifting through free agency as has been the strategy for years.

Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie have shored up a rotation that could rejoin the ranks of the American League’s best in 2022, Myles Straw is the de facto center fielder and leadoff hitter of the future, but outside of that there are questions all across the outfield, in the bullpen and at first base.

The flood of young infield prospects in the farm system will be the story to watch come Spring Training, with Gabriel Arias, Andres Gimenez and Nolan Jones likely competing for roster spots in 2022. That still leaves positions to be filled externally, with some of the Guardians top prospects still to jump past Double-A. So who does that leave in the Plato’s Closet of free agents that Cleveland could reasonably target for 2022?

Cleveland Guardians Target #1: C.J. Cron – First Base

First base was a black hole for Cleveland in 2021, beginning with the Jake Bauers/Yu Chang debacle in April, then the revolving door of Chang, Owen Miller and Bobby Bradley the team is currently deploying. Bradley specifically has been a nightmare to watch, and it’s easier than ever to understand why the team was so reluctant to call him up. The Assassin started hot at the plate upon making his 2021 debut, but has since dropped his average to .211 and striking out at an abysmal 39.2% clip.

Enter C.J. Cron, a soon-to-be 32-year-old journeyman first baseman on a redemption tour with the Colorado Rockies. Cron has been in the league since 2014, and before this season spent two years in the AL Central with Minnesota and Detroit, most notably 2019 in Minnesota slashing .253/.311/.469 with 25 home runs, 78 runs driven in and 24 doubles. He spent just 13 games in the pandemic shortened 2020 season with the Tigers, but has been a revelation for the Rockies this year on a one-year deal.

Cron is slashing .277/.371/.528 for Colorado in 139 games, chipping in 28 home runs, 30 doubles and 90 RBIs. The concern with Cron, as with every player that leaves Denver, is the home/road splits, and Cron is no exception, slashing .326/.412/.661 at Coors Field and .226/.327/.389 on the road in 2021. However, given his recent history with the Twins, and a career .261/.322/.474 slash line, he’d be a massive improvement to the Cleveland Guardians roster.

Defensively Cron isn’t without flaws, but he holds a career .992 fielding percentage in eight years playing first base. He’s no Gold Glove candidate, but he isn’t swiss cheese either. Cron could be an excellent thrift signing for the Guardians, coming off a one-year $1M deal with Colorado a deal similar to what Cesar Hernandez signed this past offseason could make a lot of sense, somewhere in the range of $3-4M with a club option for 2023 until a better option presents itself.

Cleveland Guardians Target #2: T.J. McFarland – Relief Pitcher

Likely the largest area of concern heading into the offseason is going to be Cleveland’s bullpen. Fortunately the team has their closer of the future figured out with the emergence of Rookie of the Year candidate Emmanuel Clase and his ridiculous 100+ MPH Cutters. Nick Wittgren suffered some regression this season, and James Karinchak fell off the face of the Earth, earning a one-way bus ticket back to Columbus to finish out the season. As big of a defender as I’ve been of Bryan Shaw during his time in Cleveland, it’s definitely time to let this ship sail as well.

The other thing Cleveland is nearly entirely devoid of is left-handed pitching out of the bullpen. Sam Hentges and Logan Allen are the only lefties with extended time at the big league level in 2021. So where do the Guardians look to add an affordable lefty with a solid track record? The answer here is current St. Louis Cardinal T.J. McFarland.

McFarland, 32, is in his ninth year in the league and has been an excellent option out of the bullpen for the Cardinals this year. In 38 appearances this season McFarland, the former Cleveland draft pick, has logged a 4-1 record, and a 2.41 ERA in 37.1 IP. He’s a pitch-to-contact sinker-baller with a Sinker/Slider/Changeup pitch mix that has resulted in a 63.4% ground ball rate in 2021.

Over the course of his career, McFarland is 24-15 with a career 3.94 ERA with mixed results from year-to-year, but put into a bullpen that would use him properly as the Cardinals have in 2021, this matchup dependent lefty could be a respectable add for the Guardians. Currently on a one-year $1M deal as well, McFarland definitely won’t be the most expensive free agent arm on the market this coming offseason. Another similar deal and mutual interest could bring him to the shores of Lake Erie.