Guardians could steal intriguing outfield option thanks to Athletics roster crunch

In 2024, it looked like JJ Bleday was finally starting to put it all together. 

After struggling in his first two MLB seasons (a span that included a trade from the Marlins to the Athletics), Bleday slugged 20 home runs for Oakland and looked like he could be a building block as the Athletics worked to pull themselves out of the cellar in the American League West.

And then the 2025 season happened. After breaking camp with the Athletics in their first season in Sacramento, Bleday had a disaster season where he hit just .212 in 98 games in a season where he was demoted to Triple-A twice due to poor performance. 

On Tuesday, the Athletics designated Bleday for assignment as the corresponding move to protect some prospects from the Rule 5 Draft.

But even if Bleday is coming off a down year, he still stands out as an intriguing option for the Guardians given his status as a first-round draft pick and brief run of big league success.

JJ Bleday is be a low-budget option who could help the Guardians outfield 

The obvious fly in the ointment here is how disastrous his 2025 season was despite the Athletics moving to the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. He finished last season with a strikeout rate of 26.5% — the highest-mark he’s posted in a full-season. 

He also isn’t great in the field, as he was worth -8 Outs Above Average in the field despite just playing in 98 games, though some of those struggles can be chalked up to him being miscast as a center fielder. Even though no one will mistake him for Steven Kwan in the corners, he should be able to hold his own in right field. 

Although Bleday isn’t the kind of established option like Harrison Bader or Brendan Donvovan, he has enough intrigue that he should be on the Guardians’ roster, especially since it wouldn’t take much for Cleveland to acquire him. 

The Guardians may not claim him on waivers since that means they’d have to open up a 40-man roster spot for him (their 40-man roster is full after Tuesday’s roster moves), but going after him in free agency is a different story since they’d be able to sign him to a minor league contract. 

Steven Kwan is a lock to be in left field (so long as he isn’t traded) and Chase DeLauter and George Valera are in the driver’s seat when it comes to claiming outfield spots in 2026 (so long as the Guardians don’t bring in a big outside option), but the rest of the options behind them aren’t incredibly inspiring. 

After those three, the rest of the outfielders on the 40-man roster are Will Brennan, Jhonkensy Noel, Johnathan Rodríguez, Petey Halpin, Nolan Jones, Angel Martínez and the newly-added Khalil Watson. 

Noel and Rodríguez boast extreme power but have struggled in the MLB action they’ve seen over the past two years, while Jones struggled so much in right field that he could be non-tendered later this week. 

Bleday may not be a starting outfielder but he’s arguably a better depth option than those three. Bleday won't win the Guardians the World Series, but he's a solid buy-low option worth taking an flier on.