CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians’ latest roster addition might not make headlines across baseball, but Stuart Fairchild could be exactly what the team needs to round out its outfield mix heading into 2026.
Cleveland signed the 29-year-old outfielder to a minor league contract last weekend, providing a veteran right-handed bat to a roster that skews heavily left-handed. While Fairchild isn’t a household name, his specific skill set addresses several needs for the Guardians.
“He’s a .246 time hitter against lefties. Last year the Guardians as a team hit .224 against lefties. So that’s a little bit of an upgrade,” explained Paul Hoynes on the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast.
Fairchild, a former second-round pick (2017) of the Cincinnati Reds, brings a combination of experience, defensive versatility, and platoon potential. He’s spent time with Cincinnati, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, and Arizona, though his 2025 season was limited to just 28 games after he dislocated a pinky finger.
What makes Fairchild particularly valuable isn’t necessarily his ceiling as an everyday player, but his ability to handle a role that young prospects often struggle with – being a part-time contributor.
“He sounds like a role player, and that’s what they kind of lacked last year,” Hoynes noted on the podcast. “They had Jhonkensy Noel, they had Johnathan Rodriguez. Young guys in roles where you had to ride the bench and you came in and you pinch hit or you were a defensive replacement. That that makes it so hard on a young player. Fairchild has been around a little bit and he knows how to handle that.”
That experience factor could give Fairchild a legitimate shot at making the Opening Day roster, especially considering Cleveland’s outfield picture remains unsettled. While the Guardians have several young outfielders with potentially higher ceilings – Angel Martinez, Chase DeLauter and Petey Halpin among them – none bring Fairchild’s specific combination of right-handed power and major league seasoning.
The early-season schedule, with potential cold weather games and irregular playing time, might make Fairchild a more sensible option than rushing a prospect who needs consistent at-bats.
“Last year as a team, the Guardians hit .227 against right handers and .224 against lefties,” Hoynes pointed out. “Anything Fairchild can add to that mix is going to be appreciated.”
While this signing doesn’t preclude Cleveland from making a bigger splash in the outfield market before spring training, it does suggest the team is focusing on complementary pieces rather than everyday solutions. This approach would allow the organization to evaluate its young talent while having veterans like Fairchild available when matchups dictate.
For Fairchild, the opportunity with Cleveland represents a chance to establish himself on a contending team. If he can showcase his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play solid defense across all three outfield positions, he could carve out a valuable role on a team that looks poised to contend in the AL Central again in 2026.
Spring training, which begins with pitchers and catchers reporting on February 10th, will determine whether Fairchild can translate this opportunity into a spot on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster.
Read the automated transcript of today’s podcast below. Because it’s an AI-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, the Guardians made some moves late last week over the weekend. Justin Brule, the left hander that they had acquired in a trade for cash from the the Toronto Blue Jays, was designated for assignment in order to make room as Major League Baseball approved the deal. The the signing of Sean Armstrong. So Armstrong gets the spot on the 40 man roster. Justin Brule still waiting to see whether he can be traded or if he’s going to be outrighted by the Guardians here. So he loses his spot on the roster. I really couldn’t. The Guardians have just, you know, cut John Kenzie Noel and not dealt with the whole Justin Bruhl thing with Toronto in order to make the spot available for Armstrong on the 40 man roster.
Paul Hoynes: Seems like they could have Joe. I mean this was kind of a roundabout way. Maybe they think Armstrong might not pass the physical. I’m not sure. So just an interesting kind of move there. Or maybe they made the trade for, for a Brule thinking, you know, if they did, if Armstrong did pass the physical, this is the guy they take off because they didn’t want to take anybody off else off the 40 man.
Joe Noga: Yeah. So the bottom, bottom line is with the equation. Kenzie Noel outston, Brule out. Sean Armstrong in the 40 man roster is full. And yeah, it just seemed like a, you know, a sort of a strange day the way that things operated. Essentially the Guardians got the guy they wanted in, the veteran Armstrong who signed for 5.5 million and really he’s going to provide that backup and that sort of a security blanket for the back end of the bullpen with Cade Smith and Hunter Gattis back there.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he signs a one year deal to 5.5 million. He’ll get 4 million in 2026. In 2027 there’s a, there’s a, there’s a 1.5 million buyout and it’s also 2027. There’s a $8 million mutual options. Kind of an interesting deal. A lot like Paul Seawald signed last season and hopefully for the Guardians and for, for Armstrong, it works out a little better than it did for Seawald.
Joe Noga: Yeah, you know, it comes at a time when Armstrong is coming off probably one of his best seasons, probably his best season in the a dominant year. Opponents, you know, hitting below.300 against him. He’s able to go out there. He’s saved nine games and 12 chances. Really. He’s not necessarily the kind of guy you would think Would you would have in a closer situation. If there’s ever a night that Kate Smith needs a break, and we’ve seen this in the past with, with Scott Barlow, with, like you said, Paul Seewald. These are, these are veteran guys who don’t sort of, they’re sort of unflappable in that situation. And you want to see them be the ones that, you know, Steven Vo’s going to turn to on a night when maybe the bullpen’s a little short and you need, need a guy to step up.
Paul Hoynes: No doubt about it. You’re right, Joe. He really had a big year last season for the Rangers. 71 games, 4 and 3. Went 4 and 3. 2.31 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 20 walks in 74 innings. You know, the Statcast guys loved them. The opposition hit, you know, 167 against his four seamer, 188 against the cutter, 76 against the sinker, 0.80 against the sweeper. You know, he had everything working for him last year, Joe, and he’s just, you know, he looks like the kind of guy where they really needed in the pen, you know, kind of a heavy duty reliever. A guy, you know, that made, you know, showed he can do 70, 70 or more appearances to go along with Cade Smith and Hunter Gattis, you know, to form that kind of tight trio or, you know, maybe, maybe Heron gets in there. So, you know, those you need like those four, three or four key guys that are going to take the ball almost every day, you know, at the end of the pen.
Joe Noga: Do we think that the Guardians are done now loading up on bullpen arms? Bring in Armstrong, they bring in Colin Holderman and Connor Brogdon. They take Peyton Pette in the Rule 5 draft. They’ve loaded up and they’ve addressed their need in the bullpen. Th. Do you think they’re done or could you, could we see maybe some non roster invitees, some minor league, you know, contract guys signed between now and start of spring training?
Paul Hoynes: I think there’s already a couple minor league, you know, pitchers coming to camp on minor league deals, but I think there’ll be a couple more. I don’t be surprised if they added anybody else to the 40 man, but who knows? I mean if this is the strategy to strengthen his strength because the Penn was last season the Penn had the third best ERA and leagues and the year before they had the best ERA in the big leagues. So I guess you strengthen a strength and you, you depend on that offense. Your core guys in the Offense to get better. You know, maybe if there’s another guy out there, Joe, they might add somebody. But I would think for the most part for the bullpen, they’re done now. You know, it’ll be interesting to see what they do for this offense, if anything.
Joe Noga: Yeah, they, they did make a move, they did sign a bat to a minor league over the weekend. Stuart Fairchild, 29 years old, has played for Cincinnati, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, but only, only 28 games last year in the, in the Braves system after dislocating a pinky finger. So he, you know, dealt with some injuries last year. This is a guy that you know, they might be familiar with from him, you know, training with Cincinnati for a few years. You know, you sort of train over there and play at the, in good year. Maybe they got a good look at him then. A right handed bat. Thirteen homers, 58 home runs combined in 2024 and 2023 for the Reds. So he was a, he was a number two pick in a second round pick in 2017. Is, you know, he’s a guy who could steal a base. He can play all three outfield positions. What do you think they’re, they’re bringing in with Stuart Fairchild?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think mostly Joe spent most of his time in the big leagues playing center field. This is a right handed hitter like you said. He’s a 246 time hitter against lefties. Last year the Guardians as a team hit 224 against lefties. So that, that’s a little bit of an upgrade. You know, I would expect that if, if Stuart Fairchild can stay healthy, they’ll probably find a spot for him on this team. You know, he’s a versatile guy. He’s, he’s, he’s been in the big leagues. He can run like you said and he can and he’ll challenge, you know, Angel Martinez, Chase the Lauder, Nolan Jones and Petey Help. And for playing spring training in center field, I would imagine.
Joe Noga: Does it, does it sound like, or feel like this is a guy who could maybe make the club out of spring training just because he’s, he’s got a little more experience, he’s a little more veteran than, than some of those other guys and you bring them along to Cleveland in, you know, April and May when there’s some harsh weather and, and maybe you’re not playing every day and, and he can maybe adjust to that better than a guy like maybe a Petey Halpin who you want to see play every day before you, you bring him up and Give him an opportunity in the big leagues.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, exactly. He sounds like a role player and experience and you know, that’s what they kind of lacked to me, Joe, last year. You know, they, they had Jhonkensy Noel. They had Jonathan Rodriguez. All you young guys in roles where you had to ride the bench and you came in and you pinch hit or you were a defensively replacement. And I just think that that makes it so hard on a young player. Fairchild has been around a little bit and he knows how to handle that.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it doesn’t feel like, you know, he would, it would totally derail him if he had to sit for, you know, three or four straight games and not get an opportunity to play. If that’s the kind of presence that they, that they’re looking for to come in. And again, swinging the bat from the right side of the plate’s going to help. This is a very lefty, dominant roster right now. When it comes to outfield bats. They need to balance a lineup every once in. And maybe Stuart Fairchild makes the roster just based on that. It’s all going to depend on how he comes out in spring training. You know, he’s going to get a lot of chances to get a good look there in Goodyear once the team reports.
Paul Hoynes: No doubt about it. And you know, last year as a team, the Guardians hit.227 against right handers and.224 against lefties. Anything Fairchild can add to that mix would. Is going to be appreciated. And it’s got to improve. Is it got to improve, you know, what the numbers they left behind last season.
Joe Noga: Does this signal that maybe they’re, you know, this is the, the way that they’re going to go about trying to, to build that roster for the rest of the offseason here not to expect any veteran guys with major league experience or a guy that they would expect to give the right field job to out of spring training. Is it, is it more like a guy like a Fairchild who’s going to have to sort of work and prove himself and earn his way into the lineup?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think they’ll be looking for platoon at bats. This guy sounds like a platoon got a platoon. An ideal platoon player to fit into that system in the Guardians outfield, right handed hitter so he can, you know, platoon with all those lefties they have. And I would think that’s the course they’ll take with any more signings like this, Joe. I, I still think they could add a big league hitter, you know, somewhere, you know, between now and when Camp Opens, I think that camp opens on February 10th. Pitchers and catchers report. So I still think that’s a possibility. But you know, more I think the probability is they’ll add another player or two like Fairchild.
Joe Noga: Yeah, that really does seem like the vibe there. But you know, that brings up the question, and we’ve asked this multiple times over the last couple of weeks, does that mean, you know, whatever money they’re not going to spend on a major league hit for the, to add to the lineup, is that something that they can, you know, dump those dollars into a contract offer for Stephen Kwan?
Paul Hoynes: You know, perhaps Joe. I think at this point they’ve been, you know, kind of going back and forth, you know, on a, on a contract extension for the last what, three, four, three years with Quan. So you know, I think the money is there. I think the Guardians have the money. What it comes down to is how serious are they about signing Kwon and how serious is, is Stephen Kwan about signing an extension with CLE England? I mean, because the Cards got to be on the table from both sides now after three years of this.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I don’t think, you know, if there’s, if there’s an offer out there, I don’t think it’s changed over any, any amount of time. But is it a matter of, you know, does, does Stephen Kwan adjust what, what he’s looking for or did the Guardians adjust what they’re offering? We just don’t know right now what the stage of the negotiations or, or even if there are negotiations. We could be completely off there. So we’ll find out what, what that’s going to look like as we get closer to camp. I guess I know a guy who did make sign a contract. Over the weekend. A big announcement for the the Guardians rivals in the Central Division. The Chicago White Sox, they come out and sign one of the big available Japanese players on the market as his posting window was about to close. Munetaki Murakami, 25 year old third baseman, left handed hitter and a big slugger from the Japanese Baseball league. He signs a two year, $34 million deal with the White Sox. So he will be playing third base and hitting probably in the middle of that lineup. This is a guy 25 years old who, you know, three years ago set the Japanese baseball, the NPB, you know, single season home run record with 56 home runs. You know, he hit 56 home runs, won the Triple Crown that year, hit 318, 56 homers, 34 RBIs. So you know, that’s the the sort of power that’s being infused now into the White Sox lineup. How does this impact the Guardians?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think it’s, it’s going to be, you know, a challenge. You know, the White Sox are getting better, Joe. I mean, they still lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons, but they’re showing progress. You know, I think, you know, it wasn’t two years ago, it was 121 losses. Last year was just over 100 losses. They are showing improvements. They’ve spent some money this, this winter they signed a right hander, what’s his name, Anthony Katz, to a two year, $12 million deal. He came over, spent the last couple years in Japan and now they’ve got the Japanese single season home run leader to play third base. It’s, it’s really, I’m, I’m anxious to see how he does. I mean, seeing the success that a lot of the Japanese pitchers have had. But now we get a chance to see another position player come over and it’s going to be, you know, it’s, it’s encouraging. I think it, it kind of gives you something to go to the ballpark for and take a look at this guy and see what he can do.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you know, he’s at the stage in his career it’s sort of similar to the way Shohei Ohtani came over. You know, Ohtani had a little bit of experience in the Japanese league, but you know, when he, when he came to the United States, he was still relatively early and young in his career. And this is again, you know, Murakami is only 25 years old. He’s, he’s a veteran by major league standards nowadays with the way that the, the league is getting younger. But you know, he’s, it, it’ll be, I’m curious to see the learning curve and how quickly he adjusts and, and you know, there have been some, some really great left handed hitting Japanese hitters to, to come in and you know, come over from the NPB and, and really put their mark on other major leagues. Even a guy like Hideki Matsui and what he did in New York, he was, he was a lot more further along in his career when he joined Major League Baseball. But I think Murakami could be a guy that, that has an impact on the, the American League Central. And you know, having to face him 13 times in a season is something the Guardians are definitely going to have to be aware of.
Paul Hoynes: There’s a big, you know, swing and miss, you know, you know, a big Swing and miss element in his game. He’s got over a thousand strikeouts. So he’s striking out, you know, almost close to 30% of the time in Japan. And it, it’ll be interesting to see how he makes that adjustment in, in the big leagues. You know, that’s going to be a, you know, really kind of a, that’s going to be the, you know, the litmus test for him just to see how he handles that and how he adjusts it. Because Japanese pitching is good, but this is the big leagues and you’re, you’re facing a good pitching every night, night in and night, night in and night out. So that’s going to be, you know, a big, big test for him.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and you talked about the White Sox signing cats and you know, just looking towards the, the Pacific Leagues, the Japan and Korea to, to bring over some pitching the last couple of years. I think in was it 20, 24, brought over Eric Fetty back and so you know, it’s worked out for them in a lot of ways. But even if he turned into a what fed, he turned into a trade chip for them and that worked out nicely. So again this is sort of their pattern. You look at their front office and how they’ve gone about trying to rebuild this club and they’ve got more trade chips possible. They’re still talking about Luis Robert who’s you know, a Gold glove high caliber, you know, player. The Phillies Mets, Padres, Pirates are rumored to be interested in trading for luis Robert. He’s 28 years old. Last season only played in 110 games and hit 223. But you know, his, he’s got, he’s a guy there who can still hit 30 home runs in a season play. You go gloves defense in center field and be a nice piece in the middle of your lineup. Plus he swings the bat from the right hand side of the plate. So what’s stopping the Guardians from making a play for Luis Robert?
Paul Hoynes: That’s an interesting question. You know, it’s always tougher I think to make a trade inside the division. The White Sox would definitely try to hold up the Guardians, really get the max amount for, for Robert. And from the Guardian standpoint, they’ve seen a lot of this guy. They see him year in and year out and it seems like frequently he’s on the IL with, with injuries. This is a guy that, that does not post a lot, you know, a lot of talent but you haven’t seen him be, you know, cons be a consistent force on the field. So that might hold the Guardian. That might stop the Guardians from making a deal.
Joe Noga: Yeah, but on the surface, he’s. He’s exactly what they would need. You know. You know what I’m saying? The fit would be there if it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t post as often. And, you know, it does play in the division and, and, and does have a, what, $20 million contract this. This season? I think the. The White Sox picked up his $20 million option, and he’s a free agent at the end of the year. So how much would you be giving up for a guy who, you know is. Is going to walk? All reasons why the, The Guardians might not necessarily be in the Luis Robert market, but there are teams that, that are interested. And, you know, again, I could see the Padres making a big push. They’ve had a crazy offseason, and A.J. preller is a. A guy who I could definitely see making that kind of move. All right, Hoinsey, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. We’ll be back with another show to wrap up, to wrap up the year here on Tuesday, and we’ll talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal.