2023-24 MLB Offseason Recap: Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians walked into 2023 as arguably the favorite to win the AL Central for a second straight season. However, a sluggish offense led the Guardians to finish 27th in the Majors in runs scored. So, what’s new in 2024 for Cleveland? Here’s our 2023-24 Guardians offseason recap.

Notable Additions

The Guardians have not traditionally been a highly active team in free agency and that remained true this winter. Cleveland made minor additions in free agency, as the Guardians added Ben Lively and brought back defensive specialist Austin Hedges.

The most notable move the Guardians made was the addition of Scott Barlow. Barlow, the former closer of the Royals, pitched very well with San Diego last summer. He struck out 32 over 29 frames with the Padres after he was acquired by Kansas City in the summer.

Aside from those moves, the Guardians added Jaime Barria, Tyler Beede, and former Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco to Minor League deals.

Now, here’s a look at the subtractions part of our Guardians offseason recap.

Notable Subtractions

To get Barlow, the Guardians gave up Enyel De Los Santos, who himself pitched well for Cleveland over the last two seasons.

Cleveland traded Cal Quantrill to the Rockies and waiver claims Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito went to market after the 2023 season.

However, two names that were linked to trade rumors this winter, Shane Bieber and Emmanuel Clase, were not traded. Bieber has one year left before he can hit the open market.

What to Expect in 2024

The Guardians come into 2024 as one of the teams that could win the AL Central. Cleveland returns a young, strong rotation that includes the aforementioned Bieber, Triston McKenzie, as well as Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams.

The trio of Allen, Bibee, and Williams emerged as building blocks last year and all three are set to be key pieces of the Guardians’ future. However, the question for the Guardians — much like it was in 2023 — is whether Cleveland can get enough offense.

The Guardians do have Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, and some young up-and-comers. But last season, Cleveland owned the fourth-worst team OPS (.695) in the league last year and from a roster standpoint, will return most of that group.