The Cleveland Guardians were just swept out of their home ballpark by the last-place New York Mets and have now lost five of their last six. While Cleveland is only a half-game behind Texas for the final spot in the AL Wild Card race, the pressure is mounting for this team. The fanbase can only abide so many flameouts before the principles of the front office and ownership become unbearable.
Cleveland moved with real aggression at the trade deadline, adding the likes of Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell and Foster Griffin. This team is hoping to contend. We know the quirks, the unique strengths and weaknesses, inherent to any Guardians team. But their lack of offensive firepower is once again threatening to undermine hopes of a deep run. If Cleveland can't get back on track, these players could emerge as waiver candidates:
OF/C David Fry
The Guardians are deeper than, but often less talented than, other contenders around the league. If Cleveland decides to promote top prospect Ralphy Velazequez to the 40-man roster in search of a late-season boost, one of the more obvious DFA candidates is David Fry. The 30-year-old catcher/outfielder/DH was recently bumped back down to Triple-A to make room for Angel Genao and Cleveland's deadline acquisitions.
Fry is still under club control through 2029 with two more minor league options, so the Guardians can keep him in Quad-A limbo for years to come, should they choose to. He has some value as a competent catcher and outfielder, but the bat has completely disappeared since his magical All-Star campaign in 2024. Fry is hitting .182 with six homers in 143 major league at-bats this season, with a .639 OPS and 84 wRC+. His metrics under the hood are somehow more dire.
Though very savvy in his plate approach, able to work a count and draw walks, that 2024 campaign — in which Fry posted an .804 OPS with 14 home runs — feels increasingly like a flash in the pan. Cleveland has several younger players who take precedent in their long-term plans already on the roster. The Guardians may attempt to pass Fry through waivers and keep him as insurance in Triple-A, but his $1.38 million salary is somehow the seventh-highest on Cleveland's books. That is sad on its own, but the Guardians probably wouldn't mind another team taking the plunge.
C Austin Hedges
The Guardians caught flack for re-signing Austin Hedges last winter, but he has rewarded their faith with his best offensive campaign to date. The 33-year-old, inked for $4 million flat, has a .730 OPS and 108 wRC+. Given the scarcity of competent offensive catchers around the league, the Guardians are no doubt thrilled with Hedges' production.
That said, Hedges still comes off the bench behind defensive savant Patrick Bailey, whom the Guardians traded a first-round pick for. Hedges is beloved in the clubhouse, but he's a lesser defensive backstop and he is still outperforming his expected metrics offensively, despite a better plate approach that sees him chase outside the zone less.
If the Guardians want to clear the path for Triple-A prospects Cooper Ingle or Kody Huff, or if Cleveland simply wants to see if another team will eat Hedges' salary, they could DFA him and give him a chance to sign on with another contender with fewer options behind home plate. The Phillies, Pirates and other teams surely would take interest.
1B Rhys Hoskins
The Guardians sent Kyle Manzardo to Triple-A after the Nathaniel Lowe trade, but Rhys Hoskins remains on the MLB roster. Why exactly? The veteran first baseman, who signed a very cheap one-year contract in free agency, hasn't done much for the Guardians this season.
Hoskins is a poor defender, even by the low positional standards of first base, and he's hitting an abysmal .176 — with an "expected" average that's even lower (.171), in MLB's bottom percentile. There's still some thump to Hoskins' bat, as he's up to 12 homers and 43 RBI on the season, but he's a strikeout machine who is much too volatile for the Guardians to count on. His -0.4 fWAR (wins above replacement) ranks dead last on the roster.
The Guardians would rather get Manzardo reps in the minors, rather than bury him on the bench, which is understandable. But for a team still hoping to salvage another season down the stretch, Hoskins' inflexibility as a defender and boom-or-bust hitting profile (which is heavy on the bust, low on boom) makes it hard to justify keeping him around.
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