3 Guardians who are now free agents ft. Shane Bieber

The Cleveland Guardians may have some work to do in the offseason. After a brilliant return to form season, they faded in the playoffs and were ousted by the New York Yankees in just five games. Despite both teams being in the ALCS, there was a substantial talent gap that Cleveland will have to make up.

That may begin by replacing some of their outgoing free agents. There are four players who were on the roster or under contract in 2024 but are now available for any other team. Additionally, Eli Morgan was traded to the Chicago Cubs, so that's another spot that will have to be looked at.

The Guardians were one of the AL's best teams, and it will require a good offseason and some replacements for the outgoing stars to get back to that spot in 2025. In an ironic twist, the Guardians, who used a bevy of pitchers as their strength in 2024, are losing four of that position to free agency.

One such player, Matthew Boyd, has already signed elsewhere. He's also with the Cubs now on a two-year, $29 million deal. He was a key contributor for them in the postseason last year, but will now need to be replaced along with the following three players.

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Guardians players who've hit the open market

3) RHP Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber's contract expired (Imagn)

Shane Bieber was once a Cy Young winner, meaning his loss would be fairly substantial. However, he missed almost the entirety of the 2024 season, so he wasn't really involved in any of their success.

His one-year contract expired, so he hits free agency and may need to take a prove-it deal to prove both his worth and his health to MLB teams. He is still just 29 years old.

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2) RHP Alex Cobb

Alex Cobb is now a free agent (Imagn)

Alex Cobb was a player who didn't play much for the Guardians due to injury. In the regular season, he had just three starts. However, he pitched well in those starts, recording 0.2 bWAR, a 2.76 ERA, two wins, 16.1 innings, 10 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP.

It was a small sample size, but Cobb proved that he can still pitch at the MLB level. He struggled in two playoff starts, but his overall body of work this year was good enough to warrant some attention on the market after his contract with Cleveland expired.

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1) RHP James Karinchak

James Karinchak is available (Imagn)

James Karinchak's contract also expired, making him a free-agent reliever. He, much like Bieber, was hurt in 2024 and did not pitch even a single inning. The reliever was once a promising talent out of the bullpen, and his career numbers are solid: 3.0 bWAR, 12-11 record, 3.10 ERA, 15 saves, 1.18 WHIP, and a staggering 253 strikeouts in just 165.2 innings.

He has pitched well, but like Bieber may need a prove-it deal to prove that he is fully healthy again and that he still has the electric stuff he once did.