3 Guardians signings that should be made in spite of Chris Antonetti’s preferences

The General Manager Meetings have come and gone, which means we’re getting closer and closer to the Dec. 1 deadline where MLB owners are expected to lock the players. 

That impending closure has led to plenty of conjecture that there will be plenty of signings between now and the end of the month, and we got an example of that earlier this week when Emilio Pagán inked an expensive contract with the Tigers. 

While the Guardians technically already made one signing when they added Antoine Kelly on a minor league deal, they still have plenty of holes on their roster that could be filled by big league free agents. The three players on this list are about as pie in the sky as you can get (and, in some cases, not great fits), but it’s still fun to imagine any of these three players on the Guardians’ roster. 

The Guardians could break their usual free agency pattern this offseason

2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.

While Chisholm may seem like an odd fit at first blush since the Guardians already have a left-handed hitting shortstop in Travis Bazzana. 

But Chisholm’s free agency hit another layer of intrigue on Thursday when Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported Chisholm is open to a utility role where he plays both the infield and outfield. He started his career as an infielder for the Marlins before they had him play the outfield for 1 1/2 seasons. He’s been a full-time infielder since the Yankees traded for him in 2024, and has almost exclusively played second base in the past two seasons. 

Chisholm finished last season with a rough .231/.312/.399 slashline with 19 home runs, though he did steal a career-high 41 bases. He wouldn’t solve the Guardians’ problems of having a lefty-heavy lineup, but he’d be as elite of a utility option as there is in baseball.

RHP Sonny Gray

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt served as Gray’s catcher 45 times when the two of them were teammates with the then-Oakland Athletics. Why not give Gray a chance to finish off his MLB career playing for the person who knows him best? 

Although Gray has hinted at retirement in the past, he said he wants to play again in 2027, and should have no shortage of suitors after he posted a 2.72 ERA in 169 innings for the Red Sox last season. 

Gray may not be the same kind of velocity savant that he was early in his career, but he has proven he can get batters out with a six-pitch mix that includes a wipeout changeup against lefties and a sweeper that plays to both sides of the plate. 

He’d be a great option to fill the hole in the Guardians’ rotation. 

OF Seiya Suzuki

Suzuki already would’ve been a longshot no matter what since he’s likely to command a contract approaching $100 million, but it got even longer once the Cubs gave him the qualifying offer, which means any team that signs him (other than the Cubs) could be subject to draft pick forfeiture. 

But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream. He finished his Cubs career with 113 homers across five seasons along with posting an OPS above .800 in his final four seasons in the North Side of Chicago. 

Adding him would make the Guardians’ already cramped outfield even more tight, but it’s fun to imagine his right-handed stick at the top of Cleveland’s lineup.

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