"Some mutual interest" between the Guardians and four notable free agents

Just like the 27 other teams that have already seen their season come to an end, the Cleveland Guardians are in self-evaluation mode and will have to determine how they want to operate moving forward, specifically when it comes to impending free agents. There are a handful of notable players who could return to Cleveland next year and it appears that the lines of communication are open between the Guardians and those players.

As noted by The Athletic's Zack Meisel, there is "some mutual interest" between the Guardians and four players. Those players being Shane Bieber, Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb, and Austin Hedges.

It is not exactly a surprise for Cleveland to be open to the returns of all four players. When looking at this group, it is definitely noteworthy that three of them happen to be starting pitchers. The Guardians had a revolving cast of characters in their rotation this past season, and looking at ways to avoid that happening again in 2024 is incredibly wise.

This also may indicate some level of concern internally about the futures of Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen. Both struggled mightily this year and if there was any belief that these issues were correctable, being linked to the trio of Bieber, Boyd, and Cobb this early does not seem like a coincidence.

Regarding the inclusion of Hedges here, some may view that as unexpected, but they shouldn't. Yes, the Guardians have Bo Naylor on their roster, and he is still in the driver's seat of being the organization's starting catcher. This means the only real need here is for a backup, and Hedges has proven to be excellent in that role.

Would it be nice for Hedges to be more of a threat at the plate? Sure, but the role that Hedges is best suited for is that of a clubhouse guy. There was a clear difference over the last three seasons, two of which included Hedges on the roster and one that didn't. Cleveland was a much more successful team with the vibes Hedges brings to the mix than they were without him, and that cannot be discounted.

There is still plenty of time for the Guardians to be able to figure out which direction they want to go in this offseason, but having a group of players already being discussed is a good sign of how they want to approach handling their own free agents.