Last season, the Cleveland Guardians had an 88-74 record, but they ultimately didn’t have the year they hoped for. After losing to the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card, it’s time for fans to turn their attention to free agency.
Here’s exactly why the Guardians should go out and sign Max Kepler.
When the time comes, it seems like there’s a shot Kepler won’t be back with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Erick Klambara of That Balls Outta Here discussed Kepler’s stint in Philadelphia: “In June, Kepler told reporters that he felt misled by the Phillies in free agency, per MLB.com’s Paul Casella and blamed not playing regularly on his struggles.”
With the possibility of a fresh start elsewhere, it wouldn’t be shocking if Kepler decided to head to Cleveland.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT.
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Max Kepler Joining Cleveland Guardians in MLB Free Agency
When you look at Kepler’s home run mark of 18, it’s great, but when you dive a bit deeper, the numbers aren’t as appealing. On Baseball Savant, Kepler was in the 24th percentile for his Batting Run Value.
Kepler was in the 60th percentile for his Baserunning Run Value, and his Fielding Run Value was in the 37th percentile. However, you know what you’re getting out of Kepler.
He’s a power hitter who’s going to struggle from time to time. When you look even further into Kepler’s Savant numbers, they’re a bit more encouraging than his Batting Run Value may suggest.
Kepler was in the 62nd percentile for his xwOBA, 73rd for Barrel %, 79th for Squared-Up % and 72nd for BB %. Now, obviously, these are Kepler’s best marks, but there’s a lot more to his game than some stats might suggest.
How Max Kepler Fits in Cleveland
If the Guardians use Kepler well, there’s a clear path to how this fit would work. Have José Ramírez at third base, move Kyle Manzardo to first base, and then put Max Kepler at the designated hitter spot.
As shown by Kepler’s Fielding Run Value in 2025, you should feel fine with him as just a rotational outfielder at this point. Since 2022, Kepler has seen his Fielding Run Value decline every year. That’s to be expected, though, now that Kepler is 32 years old.
Touching on the fit for both sides, if Kepler is going to leave the Phillies, who just won 96 games, it’s unlikely he’ll want to go to a rebuilding team at this point in his career.
While most would see the Guardians as a downgrade, they won 88 games, and they’re looking to contend again this year. This landing spot would make sense for both sides.
Max Kepler Stats
When looking at Kepler’s box score stats, his home runs jump out at you. Kepler had 18 home runs in 2025 and 24 in 2023.
Throughout the whole year in 2025, Kepler had a WAR of 0.0, a 0.216 batting average, a 0.300 OBP, and a 0.691 OPS mark.
Despite a down year in terms of Kepler’s WAR, the Cleveland Guardians should sign him to add some power to their lineup and get some extra depth in the outfield.