3 MLB free agents still out there who would be perfect fits for the Guardians

While we’re getting closer and closer to the start of spring training, there’s some business to be settled when it comes to the MLB free agent pool. 

Even though big stars like Pete Alonso and Dylan Cease have all found new homes, there are plenty of impact free agents from all skill levels who are still lingering on the market.

On Monday, MLB.com’s Brian Murphy shined a new light on that with a story highlighting the top MLB free agents still available — three of whom would be great fits for the Guardians. 

Harrison Bader, Luis Arráez and Eugenio Suárez could make the Guardians better 

OF Harrison Bader 

We’ve spent most of the offseason writing about how good of a fit Bader would be with the Guardians, and we’ll continue to do so until he signs elsewhere. 

Not only is Bader a former Gold Glove winner who can go get it in center field, but he also slashed .305/.361/.463 across the final two months of the season with the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Guardians’ front office seems hesitant to add any player to the outfield mix who would take at-bats away from Chase DeLauter and George Valera, but Bader would be the perfect player to fill Cleveland’s black hole in center field. 

He’s a career .247 hitter across parts of nine MLB seasons and has had 12+ home runs and 50+ RBI in each of the past two seasons. 

The biggest roadblock in getting him in Cleveland (along with the case of his playing time) is finances since Bader is likely seeking a multi-year deal (MLB Trade Rumors projected him to get a two-year, $26 million deal). 

The Giants and Phillies have some reported interest in Bader so there’ll likely be a bidding war for Bader’s services, but he fits the archetype of exactly what the Guardians are looking for. 

1B Luis Arráez 

Although Arráez’s contact-based approach makes him a bit of a dinosaur in today’s baseball landscape, he could still be a valuable player in Cleveland’s lineup given the lack of proven options. 

While Arráez is a three-time batting champion who is coming off a season where he hit .292, he had a hard-hit rate of 16.7% last season, which was the lowest by a qualified player since 2022. 

Arraez is going to hit a lot of singles and put the ball in play (3.1% strikeout), but doesn’t do much outside of that. He’s also a marginal defender at both first and second. 

He would present an interesting test case for the Guardians. While a lineup with Steven Kwan, Arraez and José Ramírez at the top of it would tire pitchers out, the lack of power potential from Kwan and Arraez may be too much. 

3B Eugenio Suárez

Now lets swap out one player who has no power to a player who has power… and very little else. 

The 34-year-old Suárez is coming off a season where he slugged 49 home runs across 159 games with the Diamondbacks and Mariners, but it seems like he’s going to need to settle for a discounted deal thanks to his inflated strikeout numbers (196 last season) and the fact he hit just .189 after being traded to Seattle at the deadline. 

Suárez would be a bit redundant defensively on the Guardians roster since he’s not going to take third base from Ramírez, he could work as a full-time designated hitter. While signing Suárez would limit Cleveland’s flexibility, it would also prove they mean it about upgrading their power.