The Cleveland Guardians have successfully rebuilt the bullpen after making it a top priority this offseason. Now, it’s time to shift focus to the outfield and lineup, so Cleveland doesn’t ensure it has one of the worst offenses in baseball for consecutive seasons.
One player who could certainly help in a specialized role is a former rival outfielder now available for acquisition.
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On Saturday, the Detroit Tigers designated Justin-Henry Malloy for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Even though Cleveland’s division rival may no longer have use for the outfielder, he would actually be a great fit with the Guardians.
Overall, Malloy’s stats aren’t great. He had a .221/.346/.308 slash line in 104 at-bats during the 2025 season, and a fairly high chase rate.
However, there is one area where the 25-year-old excelled, and it’s the same area that was a weakness for Cleveland last year: hitting against left-handed pitching.
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In 2025, Malloy had a .757 OPS against southpaws, and he owns a career wRC+ of 138 against left-handed pitchers. At this point in each of their careers, Malloy might be a better right-handed depth option to have on the roster over Johnathan Rodriguez.
May 28, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy (44) hits a RBI single in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Right now, the Guardians only have four right-handed bats (Austin Hedges, David Fry, Jonathan Rodriguez, and Gabriel Arias) on the 40-man roster. Somehow, Cleveland must find some depth in this department, and Malloy would do just that.
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Another intriguing part of potentially bringing in Malloy is that he still has a decent amount of team control. He has only just over one year of service time, and still has two options remaining on his initial contract. That could give Cleveland some roster flexibility that signing a free agent couldn’t provide.
The Guardian’s biggest concern about bringing in any sort of additional bat is that they’d take away opportunities from the outfield trio of Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayufs, and George Valera. Malloy wouldn’t take away any at-bats and has the chance of filling one of Cleveland’s biggest roster holes. It’s something the front office should at least explore.