5 worst Guardians free agent signings of the Chris Antonetti era 

1. Eddie Rosario

The granddaddy of them all. 

At the time, Rosario seemed like the perfect signing. Not only had he combined for 151 RB over the previous two seasons (the sixth-most mark among all big league hitters in that time frame), but he was also a career .353 hitter in 45 career games at Progressive Field. Antonetti signing him to a one-year, $8 million contract in free agency seemed like a no-brainer. 

But then the 2021 season happened, and it quickly turned into a disaster, as his batting average hovered around .210 for most of the season as Cleveland kept stacking losses. He eventually went on the injured list on July 7 with a right oblique strain, and was traded to the Braves at the trade deadline in a complete salary dump. 

And while his signing would be disappointing enough if the story ended there, part of the reason why he’s at No. 1 on this list is because of what happened after he left Cleveland. 

After hitting .271 with seven home runs (the same amount he hit with Cleveland in 78 games), Rosario hit .383 in the postseason and was named NLCS MVP during Atlanta’s eventual run toward a World Series title. 

While he came back down to earth after that postseason run (.221 batting average in 318 games), his horribly disappointing time with Cleveland can’t be ignored.