Guardians open free agency by inking free agent pitcher to surprising deal

The hot stove has been (kind of) turned on.

With the Winter Meetings less than a week away, the Guardians got a jump-start on free agency on Wednesday by signing pitcher Connor Brogdon to a one-year deal worth $900,000.

While it's not the sexiest signing in the world, it fits into the Guardians' recent trend of bringing in unheralded pitchers to expierment on in their vaunted pitching factory.

Guardians kick off free agency by signing Connor Brogdon to major league contract

Brogdon spent last year with the Los Angeles Angels, where he had a 5.55 ERA in 47 innings.

While he struggled with hard contact (hitters barreled his pitches 12% of the time), he posted a whiff rate of 29.3% and a chase rate of 30.2%, which shows that he has some ability to get major league hitters to swing-and-miss on his stuff.

His best season came in 2022 when he 3.27 ERA in 44 innings for the Phillies before working 8 2/3 innings in the World Series.

The Phillies traded him to the Dodgers at the start of the 2024 season, and he made one appearance with them before going on the 60-day injured list with a case of plantar fasciitis that ended up being season-ending.

The Dodgers cut him from their roster at the end of the season and he latched on to the Angels on a minor league deal.

Now he's going to be joining the Guardians on a major league deal to help reinforce their bullpen. While Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis are one of the best relief tandems in baseball, Cleveland's 'pen is still a bit in flux thanks to Emmanuel Clase being on non-disciplinary paid leave .

Although the right-handed Brogdon won't fill the high-leverage role that Clase had, he could get a lot of work as a middle-leverage reliever in the same vein as Kolby Allard last season.

This signing isn't dissimilar to Allard's, who ended up being an incredibly valuable player for the Guardians in 2025 after signing a minor league deal with Cleveland in the offseason.

It's also similar to Cleveland's signing of Ben Lively ahead of the 2024 season, as they signed him for a contract just over the veteran minimum ($750,000), and he ended up holding the rotation down in 2024 and being brought back the next season.

Brogdon still has one year of arbitration remaining after this season, so there's a chance he could stick around for another season if he's productive. He is out of options, though, so he can't be sent off the roster without being exposed to waivers.

In the end, the Guardians' deal for Brogdon doesn't mean a ton in the long-term. He's going to get a ton of work during the season as a reliever, but it's hard to imagine a world where he sees a ton of time in high-leverage situations.

The best way for this deal to age well is by the Guardians adding some other impact players via either the trade market or free agency.