Guardians sign much-needed power option to no-brainer minor league deal

For most of the MLB offseason, the Cleveland Guardians quietly stood by and didn't do much to add to their lineup.

That changed on Sunday, however, as the team signed first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a minor league deal, per reports from The Athletic's Zack Mesiel and MLB.com's Tim Stebbins.

They both reported that Hoskins is set to make $1.5 million if he makes the Guardians' Opening Day roster. That wording makes it seem like the Guardians and Hoskins will go their separate ways if he doesn't end up heading to Seattle with the team for the start of the season.

While Hoskins' signing didn't break the Guardians' streak of only signing hitters to minor league deals, bringing Hoskins into the fold is a clear win for a Cleveland team that's in desperate need of offensive reinforcements.

Guardians sign unherladed slugger Rhys Hoskins to minor league deal

Hoskins, 32, has played in eight big league seasons and is coming off a two season stint with the Brewers. He's hit 186 home runs, 530 RBI and logged an .819 OPS across his career.

He started his career with the Phillies and quietly rose the ranks to become one of the top first baseman in baseball. He authored a strong season in 2021 where he hit 27 home runs before putting together the best season of his career the next year.

Not only did Hoskins slash .246/.332/.462 with 30 home runs in 2022, but he also smashed six home runs on the Phillies' road to the World Series.

He never got a chance to build on that strong season however, as he tore his ACL in spring training in 2023. That injury ruined any chance of him getting a big payday in his first foray through free agency, which is why he had to settle for a two-year deal with the Brewers that included an opt-out after the 2024 season.

He opted into the second year of his deal after a rough first year with the Brewers, and he hit .237 last season despite only being able to play in 90 games due to a thumb injury.

Even though Hoskins' strikeout numbers have sat around 28% over the past two seasons, he's posted a walk rate better than 10% in every season of his career.

Although Hoskins isn't on the Guardians roster, he still has a clear path to make the roster thanks to the fact that he can hit for power (which the Guardians desperately need) and also hits right-handed.

As of now, the only true right-handed hitters on the Guardians' roster are Johnathan Rodríguez, David Fry and Austin Hedges, so Hoskins would be a great platoon option who could see time at first base and designted hitter.

Hoskins' signing wouldn't have made much sense for the Guardians last season since Fry was a full-time designated hitter, but this year the Guardians could potentially cycle through Manzardo and Hoskins at the position, among others.

The Guardians have already shown that they're willing to think outside of the box to fix their offensive problems, and signing Hoskins is a clear and easy way to fix those problems