Austin Hedges is one of Cleveland's only free agents and they will have some decisions to make about the catching position.
The offseason is officially here!
The Guardians can sign players, make trades with other teams, or do whatever they feel necessary in order to upgrade their roster before next April.
One question that remains is what will happen at catcher. There are multiple avenues that Cleveland could take including bringing back Austin Hedges, trading for a proven player, or handing the keys over to Bo Naylor.
Executive of the Year, Chris Antonetti, had this to say about Hedges' free agency:
Based on that quote from Antonetti, I'd say we won't see Hedges back in a Guardians uniform next season. The fact that they've talked and haven't reached anything is probably more telling they aren't close to a deal rather than on the verge of a new contract.
But anything can change and this is just speculation. I am all for bringing back Hedges. His leadership and clubhouse presence are invaluable pieces to any clubhouse. But that doesn't always line up with a team's timeline.
So what happens if Hedges isn't back in Cleveland next season? Someone is going to need to manage this fantastic pitching staff.
The organization clearly seems to be high on Bo Naylor. Antonetti had this to say on the prospect of Naylor as the Guardians' primary catcher.
Credit to
MLB.com
for quotes.
If Cleveland is this high on Naylor it wouldn't make a ton of sense for them to unload the farm for a new catcher such as a Sean Murphy. I'm by no means against them using prospects to make a trade, but I'd much rather see them used to get another starting pitcher.
With this in mind, Naylor being the starting catcher on Opening Day sounds like it is in the cards.
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