It’s clear where the Cleveland Guardians need to improve their roster heading into the 2026 MLB season. The Guardians have more outfield depth and right-handed bats who can hit left-handed pitchers.
We know Cleveland won’t be the biggest spenders in free agency, or even close to it, but there are still some under-the-radar free agents who could help the Guardians’ lineup. One outfielder who remains unsigned, who would be a great fit in Cleveland, is Miguel Andujar.
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Andujar has become somewhat of a journeyman over the last few seasons. Since making his debut with the New York Yankees in 2017, the outfielder has played for three different teams.
The 30-year-old split his time between the Athletics and Cincinnati Reds, logging a .318/.352/.470 slash line with an OPS of .822 in 94 games (341 plate appearances). Andujar’s wRC+ of 125 would have ranked second on Guardinas, only behind Jose Ramirez (133) and right in front of Kyle Manzardo (113).
Not to mention, Andujar excelled against left-handed pitching, too, which is an area the Guardians desperately need help in. In 2025, he had an OPS of .807 against southpaws.
Aug 13, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Miguel Andujar (38) hits a grand slam in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Considering all of these stats, it’s hard to believe that Andujar hasn’t been sought after more on the free agent market.
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Perhaps one concern is that the 30-year-old doesn’t rank well in terms of average exit velocity or hard-hit percentage. Considering Andujar’s age, those power stats should only start to decline and likely won’t improve at this point in his career.
That said, Andujar does make up for his lack of power with solid plate discipline. He only had a strikeout rate of 14.4 percent (87th percentile) and a whiff-rate of 17.8 percent (86th percentile) during the 2025 campaign.
Historically, Andujar’s archetype has been the type of hitter the Guardians have targeted in the past.
Signing Andujar to a one-year deal is an incredibly low-risk move for the Guardians.
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They need depth in the outfield, and even if the veteran doesn’t repeat his 125 OPS+ 2025 season, his numbers against lefties at the very least make him a better outfield platoon option than anyone else Cleveland has on its 40-man roster.