Cleveland Guardians Quickly Fill The Two Biggest Holes On Their Roster

The Cleveland Guardians finished their Christmas shopping 11 days before Christmas, which is pretty good for an organization that rarely does any Christmas shopping.

On Thursday the Guardians announced the signing of free agent catcher Mike Zunino, three days after they announced the signing of free agent first baseman Josh Bell.

The two signings checked the two to-do boxes at the top of Cleveland’s list of offseason priorities. Funny how an out-of-nowhere division-championship season by an emerging team-to-be-reckoned with can spur an ownership into action.

The Guardians, heretofore one of the major leagues’ most cautious spenders, have spent $39 million this week on their two newest players. Bell agreed to a two-year, $33 million deal, and Zunino inked a one-year, $6 million pact with a Cleveland team that in 2022 fell one win short of reaching the ALCS.

“We’ve accomplished a few of our priorities heading into the offseason, which was – we wanted to make sure we improved our offense by adding a bat somewhere, and also to address our catching situation,” said Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. “And we feel, with these two moves, we’ve been able to do that.”

The signing of the 31-year-old Zunino, who, in his all-star 2021 season belted 33 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays, is a major upgrade at a position of need for Cleveland.

Zunino replaces free agent Austin Hedges, who, in his two-plus years as the Guardians’ catcher, hit .169 with a .228 on-base percentage.

Zunino gives Cleveland more bang for its catching buck.

“We’re excited to bring Mike in,” said Antonetti. “He’s not far removed from a really productive offensive season in 2021. We think we’ve improved that position.”

Zunino was the third player selected – behind Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton – in the first round of the 2014 draft. For Seattle he hit over 20 home runs in three of his five full seasons, then moved on to Tampa Bay as a free agent.

In 2022 he only appeared in 36 games before undergoing season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome – but on his left shoulder, not his throwing shoulder.

“It felt like I had swelling in my shoulder, then it trickled down into my hand and I had numbness in three of my fingers,” Zunino said. “We tried some things but surgery was the best option, and immediately after the surgery the symptoms subsided.”

Antonetti said that Zunino is “on a good path” in his rehab, and should be able to open the season as Cleveland’s every day catcher.

“He’s a really good defensive catcher who does an extraordinary job of leading a pitching staff, which is a real priority for us,” Antonetti said.

Zunino said he’s looking forward to contributing to a Guardians team that last season won 96 games (counting the postseason).

“The backbone of this team is pitching and defense, and being on the opposite side of it you always know what teams have great arms, and Cleveland has always had that,” said Zunino. “I’m looking forward to coming in and sharing that knowledge I’ve learned over my career and help these guys take the next step.”

The addition of Zunino allows the Guardians to not rush their presumed catcher of the future, Bo Naylor, the younger brother of Guardians slugger Josh Naylor. Bo Naylor, 22, is one of the top prospects in Cleveland’s system, and had a breakout season in 2022. In a combined 415 at bats at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, Bo hit 21 home runs, with 20 stolen bases, 26 doubles, and a .392 on base percentage.

“I’ll be an open book for Bo,” Zunino said. “I want to help him grow and be a mentor to him. The game is all about passing down what you know.”

Antonetti said the organization’s goal with Bo Naylor is, “We want to make the determination what’s best for him and the team and not let circumstances dictate it. When it’s in his best interest, he’ll come to the major leagues, but we’ll make that determination. We’re very excited about Bo’s future.”

The Guardians’ near future probably doesn’t include any major free agent signings or trades for any big-ticket players. They’ve filled the two holes in their roster with the signings of Bell and Zunino, who will both be major upgrades for Cleveland at their positions.

Offensively the Guardians don’t play like everyone else, but in 2022 they proved you don’t have to hit a lot of home runs to win your division.

“There are very few teams that have low strikeout profiles, and make a lot of contact,” Zunino said. “Those are the teams that are tough to defend because they are the anomaly.”

Last season the Cleveland Anomalies were a team that was hard for opponents to beat.

“They are tough to game plan for because they’re so good with their bat to ball skills,” Zunino said, “and the speed dynamic in their lineup is really enticing.”