Guardians have a chance to capitalize on one of MLB's best modern comeback stories

From 2018 to ‘22, the Cleveland Guardians saw a lot of Ryan O’Hearn during his time with the Royals. But that familiarity didn’t turn into success for O’Hearn, who hit just .181 in 138 at-bats against Cleveland. 

But then he went to Baltimore and things changed. After hitting .275 across his first two seasons in Baltimore, O’Hearn officially broke out last season. He hit .283 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 93 games with the Orioles before being traded to the Padres at the deadline alongside old friend Ramón Laureano. 

Now he’s a free agent after that strong season, and stands out as a strong option for the Guardians to consider given what he can do in the batter’s box. 

Ryan O’Hearn is an obvious fit for the Cleveland Guardians 

In total, O’ Hearn finished last season with a .281/.366/.437 slashline with 17 home runs, 63 RBI and 21 doubles and is one of the top slugging options available in free agency. 

Not bad for a guy whose career almost ended not that long ago. 

O’Hearn impressed in 44 games with the Royals as a rookie in 2018, but he hit just .211 across the next four seasons (298 games), which led to Kansas City cutting him loose. The Orioles claimed him off waivers, which ended up being one of the best moves in their recent team history. 

Baltimore made some adjustments to O’Hearn’s swing and ended up reaping the benefits, as he hit .277 with 42 home runs across his 2 1/2 seasons with Baltimore. He helped lead them to the postseason in 2023 and ‘24 and was traded as a part of a deal that netted Baltimore six prospects.

And not only does O’Hearn provide plenty of power, but he also can play right field — a position the Guardians desperately need help at. 

Last year, O’Hearn made 75 appearances at first base and 23 appearances in the outfield, which sits right around the average usage for his career. It usually breaks down to be 75% first base and 25% outfield. 

The Padres struggled with how to use O’Hearn after they traded for him, but his usage with Cleveland could be a lot more streamlined: have him play right field twice a week and rotate him through first base and designated hitter the rest of the time. 

He’d be another left-handed hitter in a potentially lefty-heavy lineup, but he hit a career-best .278 against southpaws last season. That may be a mirage (career .217 hitter against lefties), but it’s better than nothing. 

He’s not going to break the bank either, as The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicted he’d get a two-year, $24 million contract in free agency. That would make him the second-highest paid Guardian behind José Ramírez, but not a lot in the grand scheme of today’s MLB. 

O’Hearn is a quality hitter who has authored one of the best comeback stories in the history of modern MLB. The Guardians have a golden opportunity to capitalize on that in free agency.