Bleacher Report has polarizing free agent suggestion for Guardians

Don’t let the Guardians’ postseason berth in 2025 fool you: they have plenty of holes on their roster this year. 

There’s a clear hole in right field. And one right next to it in center field. And the uncertain middle infield picture. But, according to one prominent national MLB writer, the starting rotation is the team’s biggest need. 

On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter published a story focusing on every team’s biggest roster hole, where he surprisingly wrote that the Guardians’ starting rotation was the team’s biggest need. 

“Year after year, the Guardians choose to sit on their hands rather than spending money in free agency to bolster a strong roster, and expecting anything different this winter is wishful thinking. They should at least add some veteran depth to the starting rotation mix, with Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick currently slated to fill three spots on the staff,” Reuter wrote, while adding that Walker Buehler stands out as a logical target. 

While he’s not necessarily wrong since the Guardians don’t have a ton of pitching depth behind their MLB core, the outfield still stands out as a clearer hole given the disastrous season the unit had in 2025. 

The Guardians should avoid signing Walker Buehler in free agency

There’s no way to dance around how bad Cleveland’s outfield was last season. While Steven Kwan held down left field (though he finished the year with an OPS+ under 100), center field and right field were both black holes. 

Nolan Jones got the lion’s share of the reps in right field last season, but he hit .211 and finished in the eighth percentile in strikeout rate. Jhonkensy Noel got the second-most appearances, but the Guardians already removed him from the roster for a reliever who was subsequently designated for assignment less than a week later. 

In fact, Cleveland’s outfielders combined for a -1.9 bWAR last year, which was the worst mark from a single position in all of baseball. And things weren’t much better in center field considering Angel Martínez got most of the time there despite being miscast as a center fielder. 

That’s the team's biggest need, not the starting rotation.

And even if the starting rotation was a big need, adding Buehler wouldn’t do much. 

The 31-year-old Buehler is coming off a season where he had a 4.93 ERA across 126 innings with the Red Sox and Phillies. He had a disastrous start to the season with the Red Sox and was eventually moved to the bullpen at the end of August before being released after one relief appearance. 

He signed a minor league contract with the Phillies the next day and allowed just one run across 13 2/3 innings. 

The Guardians did a good job reshaping their bullpen with unheralded veterans, but investing in Buehler in the starting rotation would be a misuse of the (seemingly limited) funds the front office has to work with.