Guardians make first official move of offseason as 2026 preparations begin

While the MLB postseason isn’t over yet, the Guardians kicked the postseason off on Tuesday by re-signing Austin Hedges to a one-year, $4 million contract. The signing marks the third straight season where the Guardians signed Hedges to that kind of contract. 

Guardians re-sign Austin Hedges for third season in a row

While Hedges doesn’t provide much in terms of offense, he’s one of the game’s best defensive catchers and has received high marks for his ability to work with the team’s pitching staff. And, as we highlighted earlier this month, this year’s catcher class is a bit underwhelming, so Hedges is still one of the better options, even if he’s a career .185 hitter. 

That said, those offensive struggles are a bit muted since he won’t be an everyday player. Bo Naylor will get the lion’s share of work behind the plate after he ended 2025 hitting .290 in September, while David Fry will also be able to get some work behind the plate after only being able to work as a designated hitter in 2025.

Last year Guardians catchers combined for a wRC+ of 74; the signing of Hedges means they’ll likely finish 2026 with similar production even with Fry in the fold. 

But there’s more to it than that. As mentioned above, Hedges is one of the game’s best defensive catchers and also serves as the heartbeat of the clubhouse. After playing as the Guardians’ primary catcher in 2022, the Guardians let him go in free agency in 2023. They missed out on the postseason that year and Hedges’ season ended with him winning a World Series with the Rangers. 

They brought him back on a one-year, $4 million contract for 2024, and they made the postseason. Ditto for 2025. Even if those postseason berths didn’t happen because of what Hedges did in the batter’s box, his presence in the clubhouse can’t be overstated. 

His re-signing also sets up what should be a busy offseason for the Guardians. Hedges was one of the team’s three free agents (along with Jakob Junis and Lane Thomas), and their aggressiveness in getting him re-signed shows that they may be just as aggressive in working to re-sign their other prospective free agents. 

The Guardians desperately need some help in the outfield, but Thomas just finished a year where he hit .160 in 39 games. Could those struggles drop him into the Guardians’ price range? 

Hedges signing also means the Guardians now have five contracts on their books for 2026, though that number will grow as they handle business with their arbitration-eligible players.