Cleveland named potential landing spot for free agent outfielder

There is an area on the Cleveland Guardians roster which has been a black hole for quite some time. So much so that it was recently identified as their biggest weakness.

To be specific, it was the right field position, as noted by Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer. Will Brennan was Cleveland's primary right field option in 2023 and left a lot to be desired at the plate. Brennan slashed .266/.299/.356 in 138 games, which is fine, but also nothing spectacular.

Considering that Steven Kwan is a lock to be in the other corner outfield spot, in addition to Myles Straw getting more playing time than he should, the Guardians need to find a way to add some pop to their lineup. One possible solution suggested by Rymer is 31-year-old veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez could end up having a high price tag, but a season that saw him average his lowest OPS over a full season (.741) may result in being more attainable for the Guardians.

"It's not a given, but Hernández might fall within Cleveland's price range after somewhat of a down year with the Seattle Mariners. He'd at least figure to give the Guardians 25-plus home runs, and they need as many as they can get after hitting an MLB-low 124 this year."

Zachary Rymer on Teoscar Hernandez

This offseason needs to about finding solutions to two main problem areas on their roster. Power and outfield. For Cleveland, it is about maximizing value. A signing of Hernandez would solve both at the same time and allow the team to add power to other parts of the lineup.

It is not entirely out of the question for the Guardians to sign Hernandez, but it is going to take some level of spending by the team in order to do so. While the team did make a couple of signings last year that ultimately did not work, it should not deter them from making at least one signing of note this offseason. An addition of Hernandez would certainly qualify, and it should be one that the front office seriously considers.