MLB Insider: Shane Bieber, Pete Alonso and other Cleveland Guardians offseason questions

When the Cleveland Guardians hired Stephen Vogt as manager, many people around baseball praised the hire. But no one could have expected a first season like this.

In Vogt’s rookie season as manager, he will surely win American League Manager of the Year. He led the Guardians to 92 wins, second most in the AL. He brought the Guardians to the American League Championship Series, where they were eventually eliminated by the New York Yankees. His first season in Cleveland was a resounding success and should be the first of many years that the team remains competitive in the AL Central.

But this offseason will lead to more questions for the Guardians. Let’s answer some of them.

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Cleveland Guardians’ free-agent targets

Predicting what the Guardians will do each offseason is a difficult exercise because 1) their front office is very secretive and 2) they don’t typically spend on high-end free agents.

But the Guardians figure to upgrade all areas of the roster. First, a middle-of-the-order bat would make plenty of sense. Adding a big pooper to the lineup would bring another threat to the offense and take some of the pressure off Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and others. The top free-agent bat available is Pete Alonso — he would be a strong fit in Cleveland — but would the Guardians pay what it takes to sign him? Consider me skeptical.

The rotation is also another area of need, especially with Shane Bieber’s looming free agency (more on this later). If Bieber is not retained, look for the Guardians to actively try to add an arm. Meanwhile, the Guardians aggressively deployed their league-best bullpen throughout the regular season. In the ALCS, it appeared to catch up to them, especially elite closer Emmanuel Clase. I would not be surprised to see general manager Chris Antonetti explore the bullpen market in search of additional options.

Will the Guardians be active in the trade market?

Of course. Cleveland is typically active on the trade market — both in buying and selling — but there are no obvious high-end players to trade off the major-league roster. Especially coming off an ALCS appearance. Look for the Guardians to cast a wide net and search for cheap, long-term upgrades all throughout the roster.

What free agents should the Guardians keep?

The list of Guardians free agents includes Shane Bieber, Alex Cobb, Austin Hedges, Carlos Carrasco, Tyler Beede, Anthony Gose, Estevan Florial and Matthew Boyd.

It would not be a surprise to see all the players leave in free agency, but the most interesting and pressing one will be Bieber. The star right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will not return until the middle of the 2025 season. What do the Guardians do with Bieber? Do they let him test free agency? Do they extend the qualifying offer? If they do, does he take it? Who would the Guardians pursue if he leaves in free agency?

These are all questions being asked inside the Guardians’ building. At this point, the answers are all unclear. Look for Bieber to sign a short-term contract that would allow him to test the free agent again in the near future. But it’s entirely possible that contract could come from someone other than Cleveland.