3 former Guardians who make sense as free agent targets

Free agency is here, and there are a variety of familiar faces among the 100+ players who are available for every team to grab. While the Guardians already dipped into their alumni pool by re-signing Austin Hedges on a one-year contract, there are still a couple former Guardians who make sense for 2026. 

With that in mind, here are three former Guardians who could also end up reuniting with Cleveland through free agency 

These three former Guardians make sense as free agent targets

OF Will Brennan

The Guardians surprisingly non-tendered a contract at last week’s deadline, but his return would make a ton of sense, especially on a minor league contract. 

While Brennnan’s 2025 season was limited to six unremarkable games due to injuries, he has a valuable skillset that could help the Guardians win in ‘26. 

While he doesn’t hit the ball exceptionally hard, he finished 2022, ‘23 and ‘24 in the top percentile in strikeout and whiff rate along with having above-average expected batting average marks. 

Brennan may not be a power hitter, but he’s a professional at-bat who can hold his own in right field. The Guardians have picked Nolan Jones over Brennan twice (both by trading for Jones in the spring and tendering Jones a contract instead of Brennan), but bringing him back into the fold would make a lot of sense for both parties. 

RHP Nic Enright

Enright falls into the same category as Brennan in that he’s a valuable piece who got caught on the outside of the roster bubble. Enright made his long-awaited MLB debut earlier this year and pitched well in the 31 innings he saw action in, but ended up suffering an arm injury that resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery and being designated for assignment. 

Enright won’t be an option in 2026 no matter where he signs, but the best course of action for him could be to come back to Cleveland on a multi-year minor league contract that allows for him to rehab his injury with a team that knows him.

RHP Jakob Junis

Now we’re on to a pitcher who could help the Guardians in 2026. 

Junis signed a one-year deal with the Guardians right before the start of spring training and ended up posting a 2.97 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. Junis worked in every role imaginable for the Guardians last season but ended up excelling in all of them. 

The Guardians are going to need to make some kind of MLB-ready addition to their bullpen, and Junis stands out as a top option — both because he’s already had success in Cleveland but also because he fills a middle-leverage role they need (the one that he just filled). 

Junis will likely cost a bit more than the $4.5 million salary he had last season, but such is life after you help a pitcher have a great season.