The best Guardians free agent signing of each season since 2020

2023: Signed 1B Josh Bell to a two-year, $33 million contract (Dec. 12, 2022)

After surprisingly making the postseason in 2022, the Guardians’ went on a huge spending spree (by their standards) ahead of the 2023 season by signing Bell and catcher Mike Zunino. 

Neither signing worked out, as Zunino hit just .177 and retired after the Guardians released him, whereas Bell hit .233 in 97 games before being traded.

But his inclusion on this list stems from what the Guardians were able to get in exchange for Bell, who was dealt to the Marlins at the deadline in exchange for Jean Segura and prospect Khalil Watson. 

While Segura never played a game for the Guardians, Watson has developed into a power-hitter outfielder. The Guardians recently added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. 

Watson is just 22-year-old and seems poised to factor into Cleveland’s outfield picture in 2026, whereas Bell has bounced around the league and just signed a contract with the lowly Twins. 

2024: Signed RHP Ben Lively to a one-year, $750,000 contract (Dec. 12, 2023)

It may have been hard to believe at the time, but Lively’s contract is arguably the best signing of all of the deals on this list. 

After a three-year stint pitching in Japan, Lively returned to MLB in 2022 and posted two okay seasons with the Reds before signing his cheap free agent deal with the Guardians. 

Lively ended being one of the most important pitchers in the Guardians’ rotation in 2024, as he posted a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings while turning into the team’s rock while the team cycled through starters due to injuries and ineffectiveness. 

Lively’s signing helped usher in the Guardians’ new era of pitching acquisition based around rehabbing unheralded/injured pitchers. 

Lively returned to the Guardians in 2025 and had a 3.22 ERA in 44 2/3 innings before suffering an arm injury that resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was non-tendered after the season. 

2025: Signed OF George Valera as a minor league free agent (Nov. 25, 2024) 

After spending seven seasons in Cleveland’s minor league system, the Guardians non-tendered Valera last fall after another minor league season fraught with injury. 

But, luckily for Cleveland, Valera re-signed with the Guardians on a minor league deal less than a week after being designated for assignment. It’s a deal that looks more and more like a win as the days go on. 

After hitting .318 in 44 games in the minors in 2025, Valera made his long-awaited MLB debut in September and hit a huge postseason home run for the Guardians in the postseason. 

Even though the Guardians struck gold with their signings of Kolby Allard, Austin Hedges and Jakob Junis last offseason, reuniting with Valera has turned into a great story both on and off the diamond. He finally seems poised to be a piece of Cleveland’s long-term future.