The Guardians made their first move of free agency, re-signing Austin Hedges for $4 million, plus incentives.
There should be no debate that Hedges has established himself as a perfectly adequate backup catcher. Yes, he is a terrible hitter (except against Tarik Skubal) with a 51 wRC+ last year. He still put up 1.2 fWAR this season. Only four teams had backup catchers produce more value than Hedges did in 2025. So, Cleveland is right to retain his services, even as they try to make sure that either Bo Naylor improves at the plate or Cooper Ingle is ready at some point to take his role, and that potentially David Fry is ready to take some late-game at-bats from Hedges (more on this part of the Hedges equation later in this piece).
Hedges produced 9 Defensive Runs Saved and 14 Framing Runs Above Average in 479 innings and 180 plate appearances. If given the full-time innings that Bo Naylor had, this would have come to about 18 DRS and 28 FRV, making him the runaway Gold Glove and likely Platinum Glove award winner in the AL. All this to say, Hedges is an elite defender behind the plate.
We also have to pay attention to what actual pro baseball players say about Hedges’ presence in the dugout. It was Hedges who called a players-only meeting in July, after which the team managed a historic comeback. It is Hedges that player after player on the Guardians refer to as a crucial team leader. Is that in itself enough to roster a player? No. But combined with elite defense and taking a role where you don’t even take 200 plate appearances, it makes perfect sense to employ that player.
Now, I will say that this move requires the Guardians to be aggressive in free agency and/or trades to try to fix their lineup. David Fry as your primary backup catcher is likely a fix against LHP at that position. Hedges is not. There is no guarantee that Fry will return to 2024 levels as a swing man who can hit lefties from multiple positions. The team needs to find, at the very least, better right-handed hitting options at first base and the outfield, folks who can hit in the middle of the lineup, or it won’t be feasible to carry Hedges’ bat on this roster and have an above average offense, let alone a good one.
So, bottom line- good move, Guardians. We noticed how Hedges was used to fix any struggling young pitcher and we saw the way the rotation improved and the bullpen excelled again. We know what he provides behind the plate and in the clubhouse is worth a return engagement. Now, completely justify this move by continuing to do what is necessary to fix an offense that was bottom three in baseball.