Two Guardians veterans officially enter free agency as 2025-26 offseason begins 

The 2025 World Series has come and gone after the Dodgers’ incredible Game 7 win over the Blue Jays, which means the offseason is officially here. 

And, as such, more than 100 MLB players officially hit the open market as XX(B) free agents. While they won’t be able to negotiate with all 30 clubs until Nov. 6 (they’re limited to negotiating with the team they finished the season with before then), it serves as another reminder of the busy offseason that awaits us. 

The Guardians are contributing to that player pool, as Lane Thomas and Jakob Junis officially hit free agency as XX(B) free agents. Catcher Austin Hedges also would have been a part of that list before he re-signed with the Guardians on a one-year, $4 million contract mid-way through October. 

While there’s a chance the Guardians could end up reuniting with Thomas and Junis in free agency this year, it looks like they’ll both hit the open market before that happens. 

Lane Thomas and Jakob Junis are officially MLB free agents 

Thomas is entering free agency for the first time in his career after one of the worst walk years in recent memory. The 30-year-old played in 39 games due to a variety of injuries and hit just .160 in those games. 

His season officially ended in September when he underwent surgery for the case of plantar fasciitis that had plagued him all year, but he should be healthy for the start of spring training. It just remains to be seen which team’s spring training that will be at. 

Thomas could help the Guardians in center field and has spoken about how he’d be interested in returning to Cleveland, but the ball will likely be in the Guardians’ court. He’ll likely have to settle for a one-year “prove it” contract. 

Meanwhile, Junis is entering free agency on the back of another strong season out of the bullpen. After working as a swingman for the Brewers and Reds in 2024, he became a high-leverage reliever for the Guardians in 2025 and posted a 2.97 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. 

He slowly rose up Stephen Vogt’s trust tree while also working as a single-and-multi inning reliever. 

The free agent market features plenty of strong relievers (especially since Robert Suárez and Edwin Díaz opted out of their deals), but Junis stands out as a solid budget option for reliever-needy teams. 

The Guardians’ bullpen is anchored by shut-down pitchers like Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Andrew Walters, but you can never have enough bullpen pitching, especially since Emmanuel Clase's status is still up in the air.  

Junis should have plenty of suitors in free agency, so the Guardians may end up in a bidding war for Junis’ services.