CLEVELAND — The Guardians are bringing back their veteran catcher and clubhouse presence who many on the roster believe has had a tangible value to the club outside of the box score.

The Guardians and catcher Austin Hedges have come to terms on a one-year deal for the 2026 season. The agreement was first reported via a New York Post report. Teams are able to negotiate with their own free agents during the playoffs. Free agency for all others doesn’t start until after the World Series.

Hedges is one of three key Guardians free agents this winter, along with outfielder Lane Thomas and reliever Jakob Junis.

Austin Hedges contract

The deal, which has been confirmed by the club, is reportedly for $4 million with $500,000 in incentives. It’s similar to the separate one-year deals Hedges signed for 2024 and 2025, both of which were also for $4 million.

Hedges was with the Guardians for a few seasons before leaving via free agency in 2023. It wasn’t a career move he wanted to duplicate.

“I had the opportunity to be a free agent in ’23, chased a little bit of a different opportunity, and in learning from that, I learned how valuable peace and joy and happiness and love in a group that you have, how important that is,” Hedges said via Zoom. “And so for me, I told them this is where I want to be for years moving forward. I want to finish my carer in Cleveland, whatever that means.

“If that means a year, if that means I can grind another 10 years out, then great. But Cleveland’s home to me, and I want nothing more than to bring a World Series to the people here.”

Hedges’ signing with the Guardians gives them some security at catcher, and it means they won’t have to rely on David Fry’s return from both Tommy John surgery, which prevented him from playing catcher for all of 2025, and being hit in the face by a 99 mph pitch, which recently resulted in nasal surgery.

Bo Naylor figures to see the majority of time at catcher for Cleveland in 2026, with Hedges adding some depth. Fry could factor into that picture as well, but the Guardians can now work him in cautiously with Hedges in the fold.

Austin Hedges stats

Hedges hit just .161 at the plate in 2025, offering virtually no value offensively for much of the season, though he seemed to turn it around in September, hitting .267 with an .820 OPS. And despite the slow year at the plate, his defense remains strong enough that he still accrued 1.2 fWAR.

In addition to that defensive value, Hedges has repeatedly been credited with playing a key role in the Guardians’ success because of his impact off the field and in the clubhouse, along with manager Stephen Vogt, as Cleveland has averaged 90 wins over the past two seasons.