3 traditional Chris Antonetti targets Guardians shouldn't go after this offseason

In the past couple years, the Cleveland Guardians’ march through free agency featured a lot of players who fall into the same category. 

On the pitching side, it tends to be buy-low pitchers like Jakob Junis, Ben Lively and John Means, while the offensive side features short-term commitments to uninspiring hitters like Carlos Santana and Mike Zunino.

While the Guardians have a golden opportunity to build a solid lineup around José Ramírez this offseason in free agency, it could be a long season at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario if Chris Antonetti and Co. end up falling into the same traps that have hurt them in years prior. 

With that in mind, here are three free agents who the Guardians should stay far away from. 

The Guardians should stay far away from these free agents 

UTL Luis Rengifo

At face value, Rengifo has everything Chris Antonetti and Co. love since he’s only 29 and can play every position but first base and catcher. But just because he has the kind of versatility the Guardians front office covets doesn’t mean that he’s the right fit. 

He only hit .238 last year after being one of the worst hitters in baseball in the first half of the season and finished the year in the 18th percentile or worse in hard-hit rate, barrel rate and exit velocity. 

His positional versatility is a big boon, but the Guardians have plenty of players who can fill that role. They need to add some offense to their lineup, and Rengifo wouldn’t be a huge help in that category.

If the Guardians do want to add a player with versatility then they’d be better off going after Brendan Donovan in a trade. 

OF Austin Slater

Yes, the Guardians need offense. And yes, they need offense from their outfield. But adding Slater to the mix isn’t the answer. 

He could stand out to the Guardians’ decision makers thanks to his strong platoon splits (career .267 average against left-handed pitching), but his presence in the lineup would take at-bats away from Chase DeLauter and George Valera. 

While he’d be able to protect them from same-side pitching, the Guardians had a historic platoon advantage last year and finished the year with the second-worst team OPS in the league. 

The focus this offseason should be adding everyday power to the lineup, not just a platoon fix. 

LHP Jordan Montgomery 

Matthew Boyd isn’t walking through that door. While the Guardians struck gold with their signing of Boyd midway through 2024, their lackluster trade for Alex Cobb and failed signing of John Means have shown how uncertain it can be to bank on an injured pitcher. 

Montgomery stands out as the top injured pitcher on this year’s market after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April. He was traded to the Brewers at the trade deadline and is now set to hit free agency after signing a one-year, $25 million deal with the Diamondbacks in 2023 that included a $22.5 million player option for 2025.

Arizona made him a first-team All-Star at the bank, but he only posted a 6.23 ERA in 117 innings in his lone season in the desert. 

Montgomery won a World Series with the Rangers in 2023 and posted three straight years with an ERA under 4.00 in 2021, ‘22 and ‘23, but he’s not going to be able to help until late in 2026 — if at all. 

The Guardians have a surplus of  young starting pitching, and adding Montgomery the mix wouldn’t do much to help. The money they could spend on him should be allocated elsewhere.