5 Guardians with club control who are in danger of being traded

This offseason could bring about some winds of change for the Guardians. While that kind of statement is largely true for most offseasons in Northeast Ohio, this offseason could provide us with even more movement and theatrics. 

Although the Guardians made it to the ALCS, they had some clear holes on their roster and are in the forever process of navigating how to build a winner on a tight budget. 

With those factors in mind, here’s a look at five Guardians who could be traded as they look to walk the line between buying and selling. 

The Guardians could have a busy offseason 

OF Jo Adell

Seeing Adell’s name on this list may be a bit surprising given the Guardians just traded for Adell over in the summer, but he could end up being more of a hired gun than any of us ever expected. 

Adell’s time in Cleveland was him broken down in his simplest form. He stuck out a lot, struggled against right-handed pitching and hit some majestic home runs. The Guardians clearly needed his power, but he could make nearly $10 million in his final turn through arbitration. 

That contract isn’t going to result in Adell being non-tendered, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if his name ends up getting floated in trade rumors this offseason. 

RHP Tanner Bibee

Nineteen months ago, the Guardians decided that Bibee was a franchise cornerstone when they signed him to a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $48 million. Now he may be on the outs.

Bibee finished the regular season with a 4.36 ERA in a career-high 188 innings, but he made just one appearance in the postseason and sat on the sideline for the entire ALCS as the Guardians pitching staff was leaking oil. 

You can never have enough pitching, but Bibee’s postseason inaction could end up being the final part of his tenure in Cleveland. 

He’s set to make $38.4 million over the next three seasons, which is an incredibly affordable contract in today’s MLB. Normally that kind of contract is catnip for the Guardians (they’re the ones who signed Bibee to it, after all), but a clean break may be the best thing here for both parties. 

RHP Slade Cecconi 

Speaking of starting pitching, the Guardians added Cecconi at the start of 2025 in return for Josh Naylor. He’s shown flashes in the time since, but his 4.59 ERA with the Guardians shows there’s still some room for improvement. 

Cecconi started this year in the Guardians’ rotation but was demoted to the bullpen after the Foster Griffin trade, and he had some up-and-down results in relief. That spot in the rotation could be open again thanks to Griffin being a free agent, but that doesn’t mean it should automatically go to Cecconi. 

The same kind of logic with Bibee applies here in that a trade of Cecconi would dramatically hurt the Guardians’ pitching depth, but it may be time for the Guardians to part ways with Cecconi.

He wouldn’t net the Guardians the same kind of return like the Diamondbacks got for him two years ago, but his pitching versatility and cheap contract (projected $2 million contract via arbitration) should be enough for a rebuilding team to hitch their horse to Cecconi. 

UTL David Fry

Fry will forever live in Guardians lore thanks to his walk-off homer against the Yankees in the 2024 ALCS, but we’re at a point where it seems we could be approaching the end of his time in Cleveland. 

We all knew that his 2025 season was going to be a wash since he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, but they continued in this season even though he was (allegedly) healthy. In total, Fry finished his season with a .201/.313/.364 slashline in 91 games. 

Fry’s biggest value arguably comes from his ability to bounce around the diamond, but that was limited at the end of the season when Cleveland used him as a full-time first baseman. 

The Guardians need to upgrade their offense this winter, and replacing Fry with an impact bat seems like a good way to do that. He wouldn’t net a huge return, but teams are always willing to pay for positional utility. 

SS Brayan Rocchio 

We know, we know. Rocchio’s beloved in Cleveland and has already recorded more signature moments with the Guardians than most franchise icons, but the writing could be on the wall for him. 

The Guardians are entering the offseason with a middle-infield logjam thanks to Rocchio, Angel Genao and Travis Bazzana. While they could roll with that same group and have Genao come off the bench, Genao showed enough last season to show that he’s ready for an everyday role. 

Rocchio’s a gamer who saved his career from the brink, but the Guardians have made their hay by making tough decisions that help the team in the long-term. Trading  Rocchio would fall exactly into that category. 

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