Dreaming on this winter’s free agent class for the Guardians: The week in baseball

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Dreaming on this winter's free agent class.

Let's suppose, just for a few seconds, that Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff weren't tied to a restricted payroll after winning the AL Central and the ALDS before losing to the Yankees in five games in the ALCS.

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And let's say their new deal TV deal with MLB keeps them close to what they were making under their old deal with Diamond Sports Group before they were tossed to the curb. Dreams aside, they're going to take a hit.

Who could they realistically pursue among the 144 players who officially became free agents on Friday? Not only that, but where would they fit?

The easy answer would be sign Juan Soto. He plays right field, a deep hole in the Guardians' lineup, and he wrecked them in the ALCS by hitting .368 (7 for 19) with three homers and six RBI in five games.

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Yes, this is a offseason dream sequence, but even dreams have limits. It's been speculated that Soto will be seeking a $700 million contract. The Guardians aren't going there, even in their sleep.

There are some alternatives with Teoscar Hernandez, Jesse Winker and Anthony Santander among them. Hernandez (.272, 33 HR, 99 RBI) played under a one-year deal with the Dodgers for $23.5 million this year. Santander (.235, 44, 102), plucked from Cleveland's unprotected list in at the winter meetings in 2016 by Baltimore, made $11.7 million last season.

Hernandez and Santander are projected to receive multiyear deals worth well over $20 million per year. It's the kind of long-term commitment the Guardians don't make even in the REM stage of sleep.

The Guards have had interest in Winker (.253, 14, 58) since his days with the Reds. He played only 61 games for the Brewers in 2023, but had a mild bounce back season with the Nationals and Mets this year. He played under a one-year, $2 million deal in 2024.

Cleveland could also move Lane Thomas back to right field. Thomas, after being acquired at the deadline from Washington, took over center field and played well there through the postseason. Such a move would give any number of Guardians — Angel Martinez, Tyler Freeman and Myles Straw to name a few — a chance to reclaim the center field job.

The Guardians paid Straw $4.5 million in 2024 to spent almost the entire season at Triple-A Columbus. They still owe him $13 million for 2025 and 2026.

First base could be an interesting storyline this winter.

Josh Naylor is entering his walk year, while coming off a season in which he set career highs with 31 homers, 108 RBI and 152 games played. Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said he expects Naylor to be with Guards next season, but knew he'd being taking a lot of phone calls on the first-time All-Star.

Naylor is projected to make $12 million in arbitration this winter.

If the right kind of offer is made for Naylor, the Guards have Kyle Manzardo waiting in the wings. Or they could pursue free agent first baseman Christian Walker (.251, 26, 84, .803 OPS). He made $10.9 million this year with Arizona.

If this past season revealed anything about the Guardians, it's their need for a stabilizing starting pitcher. After Tanner Bibee (12-8, 3.47) and Ben Lively (13-10, 3.81), their busiest starters were Carlos Carrasco (3-10, 5.65), Logan Allen (8-5, 5.73), Gavin Williams (3-10, 4.86) and Triston McKenzie (3-5, 5.11).

Think about that, and then think about the fact that they won the AL Central going away with 92 wins.

No wonder the appearance of lefty Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.72) had such a calming effect on the Guardians. Re-signing Boyd would be a good first step toward the rotation regaining its equilibrium. Bringing back Shane Bieber, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, would be trickier, but not impossible.

If that doesn't work, there are other veteran free agent starters who could help such as Jose Quintana (10-10, 3.75), Kyle Gibson (8-8, 4.24) and Lance Lynn (7-4, 3.84). Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92, 194 1/3 innings) is on the market as well, but like Soto that's a dream laced with too much reality.

Extra arm The Guardians used to stockpile starting pitchers. At one time they seemed to have them hanging from the rafters.

This year it was relievers. Even with Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak missing the season with injuries, they put together the best bullpen in the big leagues. They had spare parts, too.

On May 7, they sent lefty Anthony Banda to the Dodgers for cash. Lefties Tim Herrin and Sam Hentges were ahead of him. The move secured a World Series ring for Banda.

Banda went straight to the big leagues with the Dodgers after opening the year at Class AAA Columbus. He went 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA with two saves in 48 games for Los Angeles. He struck out 50, walked 18 and allowed 17 earned runs in 49 2/3 innings.

In 10 games in the postseason, he posted a 1.13 ERA with 11 strikeouts, six walks and six hits in eight innings. He made four appearances in the World Series and didn't allow run in 2 1/3 innings.

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