10 former Cleveland Guardians who are still without a job entering Spring Training

5. Gio Urshela

Every once in a while, there is a player who requires stops with multiple organizations before finally breaking through. That is the case when it comes to Gio Urshela. 

Urshela spent parts of two seasons on Cleveland’s major league roster but was not able to do anything noteworthy at the plate. A quick stop in Toronto followed soon after, but again, nothing special with a bat in his hand. Finally, Urshela ended up in The Bronx, and his hitting abilities were finally unlocked.

Slashing .310/.359/.523 over his first two seasons before a dip in his final season as Yankee saw his numbers drop across the board (.267/.301/.419). New York felt that a change was needed, sending Urshela and Gary Sanchez to Minnesota for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt. Urshela would bounce back in his lone season with the Twins, being a nice stabilizing bat for the eventual American League Central Champion Twins. 

The 2023 season saw Urshela with another new ball club following a trade, the Los Angeles Angels. Unfortunately, Urshela’s season was cut short after just 62 games due to a pelvic fracture. 

At 32 years old and coming off a major injury, it is not exactly surprising to see Urshela remain unsigned. However, he has proven to be a fairly consistent bat ever since his swing was revamped during his time in the Yankees organization. With that being said, Urshela should still be able to provide a different look to a power-heavy lineup that struggles in the batting average department.