Every former Guardian who has a chance to make impact in 2025 playoffs

The postseason is here, and the Cleveland Guardians made the dance. After a wild finish to the season that included walk-off plunkings and home runs, they won the American League Central and are set to host the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card Round. 

And while that means there’s going to be a lot of action at the corner of Progressive and Ontario, there are also plenty of former Guardians who will be in action this postseason. 

Here’s a look at every former Guardian playing this postseason.

American League 

Boston Red Sox
Lucas Giolito 

Giolito is the lone former Guardian on Boston’s roster, and you’re forgiven if you forgot about his one month cameo in Cleveland. 

The Guardians acquired Giolito in August 2023 after the Angels commenced a waiver wire firesale, where he threw 30 2/3 uninspiring innings before signing a two-year contract with the Red Sox in free agency. 

After he missed all of the 2024 season due to an arm injury, he’s found his groove this season. He has a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings this season and seems set to hit free agency again in the offseason. Giolito may not be the same kind of pitcher that he was when he was with White Sox, but he’s a quality middle-of-the-rotation arm. 

That said, Alex Cora annouced on Monday that Cora will miss the Wild Card Round due to an elbow injury.

Detroit Tigers
Paul Sewald 

Take yourself back to the end of March. The Cavs had yet to run into the Pacers in the NBA playoffs. Shedeur Sanders wasn’t a member of the Browns. Barely anyone in Cleveland knew who C.J. Kayfus was. 

And Paul Sewald was the Guardians’ save leader. 

Sewald got the save for the Guardians on Opening Day in extra inning after Emmanuel Clase blew his first save chance of the year, but he only ended up making 17 more appearances with the Guardians due to injuries before they traded him to the Tigers at the deadline in a salary dump.

He’s made four appearances for the Tigers since the trade, and could be an important arm in their bullpen as they try to pull off “pitching chaos” for the second year in a row. 

New York Yankees
Amed Rosario

In 2022, Rosario recorded 29 postseason at-bats for the Guardians and had a clutch ninth inning single in Cleveland’s come-from-behind win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS. 

This year, he’s going to be on the other side of the spectrum as a utility player for the Yankees. 

While he’s only played in 16 games for the Yankees since they acquired him at the trade deadline, he’s hit .303 while playing a variety of positions. 

He won’t have the same kind of everyday role that he had when he was with the Guardians in 2022, but Rosario should still find a way to make an impact for the Yankees. 

Seattle Mariners
Josh Naylor

Naylor provided plenty of signature moments during his time with the Guardians. He was a spark plug in 2022, Gerritt Cole’s father in 2022 and a catalyst in Cleveland’s run to the ALCS last season. 

Now he’s a speed demon in the center of the Mariners’ lineup who could help boost his free agency stock with a strong postseason. 

Naylor hit .299 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 54 games with the Mariners, and provided plenty of signature moments on Seattle’s run toward the American League West crown. 

The winner of the series between the Guardians and Tigers will face off against Naylor and the Mariners, so it may not be long until Naylor gets a chance to author another postseason moment at Progressive Field. 

The Mariners also have Carlos Vargas, who never made a major league appearance for the Guardians but spent four years in the team’s minor league system before the Guardians traded him to Arizona in 2022. He’s turned into a solid middle-leverage reliever for the Mariners. 

Toronto Blue Jays
Shane Bieber, Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez, Nick Sandlin and Myles Straw

The Guardians of the North, it seems. Clement was the first former Blue Jay to join the Blue Jays ahead of the 2023 season and has morphed into one of the most valuable players in all of baseball. He was worth 4.3 bWAR this year, which would have been the second-highest mark on the Guardians this year.

Clement isn’t the only former Guardian who has found new life in Toronto, as Myles Straw went from a salary dump to an everyday player. Straw ended up leading the Blue Jays in center field appearances (88) while hitting .262 with four home runs. 

The Guardians traded Giménez and Sandlin to Toronto in the offseason as a part of the flurry of moves that resulted in Luis Ortiz ending up in Cleveland. Giménez only played in 101 games this year due to injury. He’s been worth 10 Outs Above Average in the field but is hitting just .201. Meanwhile, Sandlin has been on the injured list since July and won’t return for the postseason. 

Last up on the list is Bieber, who the Guardians traded to the Blue Jays at this year’s trade deadline. Bieber ended up posting a 3.57 ERA in seven starts with Toronto and is in like to start Game 1 of the ALDS. 

National League 

Chicago Cubs
Aaron Civale 

While Aaron Civale is the lone former Guardian on the Cubs’ active roster, Chicago’s situation is a bit more nuanced than that. 

The Cubs acquired Civale in August after the White Sox placed him on waivers, and he’s appeared in five games in long relief. He should make their postseason roster as a long man. 

They also have Carlos Santana on their roster as a taxi squad option after they optioned him to the Florida Complex League over the weekend. 

When the Guardians let Santana go at the end of August, Chris Antonetti spoke about how they did so in the hopes that Santana could latch on with a contender. While the Guardians have since turned into a contender, getting rid of Santana was the right move since it opened up first base for Kyle Manzardo and C.J. Kayfus. 

They also have two former Guardians top prospects on their roster in Drew Pomeranz and Wili Castro, and former Cleveland relief ace Eli Morgan is also in their organization, though he’s currently in the minor leagues and won’t be on the postseason roster. 

Los Angeles Dodgers
Alex Call

The Dodgers acquired Call from the Nationals at the trade deadline, and he boasts all the traits that could make him a postseason hero in that he kills left-handed pitching (.286 average) and has above-average speed and defense. 

The Guardians acquired Call as a minor leaguer as a part of the Yonder Alonso trade, and he ended up appearing in 12 games with the Guardians before they cut him loose in 2022. He played in 265 games with the Nationals before Los Angeles acquired him at this year’s trade deadline. 

He had a .701 OPS in 38 games with the Dodgers, and won’t be eligible for free agency in 2030, which makes him a solid controllable option as the Dodgers look to build a modern-day juggernaut. 

Milwaukee Brewers
Jake Bauers

While Bauers never lived up to the hype as the main return for Cleveland’s trade of Edwin Encarnación, he does hold the distinction of being the last Cleveland hitter to hit for the cycle. 

He’s spent the past two seasons as a utility infielder for the Brewers, and he hit a big home run last postseason against the Mets that ended up being overshadowed by Pete Alonso's go-ahead blast. 

Bauers provides the Brewers some much-needed versatility and is a valuable bench bat, so there’s a chance we could see him in the center of a big moment again. 

Philadelphia Phillies
None

San Diego Padres
Ramón Laureano

Laureano helped solidify left field for the Padres after they acquired him from the Orioles at the trade deadline, but they suffered a huge blow last week when he suffered a fractured finger that should keep him out for most of the postseason. 

Laureano only hit .209 in his 72 games with the Guardians, but he’s turned things around since leaving Cleveland. 

Even if Laureano isn’t able to return during the postseason, he set himself up for a nice payday this offseason.