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Poll: Where Will Nick Castellanos Play Next Year?

By Nick Deeds | October 17, 2025 at 1:10pm CDT

It appears the Nick Castellanos era in Philadelphia is coming to a close. Reporting yesterday indicated that the Phillies plan to either trade or release Castellanos this winter, ahead of the final season of his five-year contract with the club, following a year where he clashed with club manager Rob Thomson and struggled to produce at the plate or in the field. It remains to be seen whether Castellanos will be traded or released to sign somewhere else on the league minimum, but either way, it seems likely at this point that his next MLB game will come in a different uniform. Which team fits him best? A look at some of the most intriguing landing spots:

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians are perhaps the most straightforward fit for Castellanos available. They’ve already made clear they hope to upgrade their outfield mix. As a club without much money to spend most years, the fact that Castellanos could be had for a fraction of his salary (or perhaps even the league minimum) has to be enticing. Lackluster as Castellanos’s production was this year, he could be a good fit for a club that produced a wRC+ of just 70 from right field this year between players like Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel. Castellanos perhaps fits best as a DH given his poor defensive abilities, but that opportunity could be available to him as well with Kyle Manzardo likely to take over first base duties after being blocked by Josh Naylor and Carlos Santana in previous years.

Kansas City Royals

Sticking in the AL Central, Castellanos would be an interesting fit for the Royals as well. Kansas City has struggled to find any sort of production in the outfield for years now. This past year, they got a 69 wRC+ (30th in MLB) from right field with a 75 wRC+ (29th in MLB) from left field. Castellanos would surely provide a major upgrade to either of those spots and is capable of playing every day if needed, which would be a step in the right direction for a team that has too often needed to platoon all around the roster recently. One major flaw with Castellanos’s fit in Kansas City, however, is the presence of Salvador Perez. Perez is expected to remain with the Royals next year, whether via club option or a fresh deal, and started 66 games at either DH or first base this year. Any first base starts would push Vinnie Pasquantino to DH, meaning that Castellanos would have to play the field frequently to be a fit for Kansas City’s roster.

San Diego Padres

The Padres might seem like an odd fit for Castellanos’s services at first glance, but San Diego has frequently had to get creative with some of its additions in recent years to balance its budget while filling holes in the roster. That figures to be true once again this winter, with both Dylan Cease and Michael King leaving major holes in the rotation as they head into free agency. Starting pitching figures to be the focus for the Padres this winter, which leaves the club to replace Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn in the lineup at DH on what might be a shoestring budget.

Enter Castellanos, who won’t cost much but could capably handle regular duties at DH while also potentially spelling Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ramon Laureano in the outfield corners. San Diego hasn’t been afraid to take risks on players in need of a rebound in the past. While not all of those shots have landed, they have found success with some, such as Gavin Sheets. If there’s a flaw with Castellanos’s fit in San Diego, it’s perhaps that Sheets played just 13 games at first base this year and the club might view him as their DH headed into the offseason.

Other Options

These teams aren’t the only ones for whom Castellanos would make sense, though they are perhaps the best fits. The Cubs are about to lose Kyle Tucker to free agency but they could slide Seiya Suzuki into the outfield more often, opening the DH spot for Moises Ballesteros. Guys like Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara are also around to bolster the outfield mix and are probably better than Castellanos at this point anyway. The Diamondbacks could use Castellanos as a right-handed complement to their heavily left-handed outfield and DH mix, but he might be able to do better than a pure bench role and Blaze Alexander might be better suited for that job anyway. Perhaps the Rangers could sign Castellanos to share time with Joc Pederson at DH and back up lefty outfielders like Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna if they end up non-tendering Adolis Garcia, though even if that happens they might still prefer to try to reunite with him at a lower price point, given his superior defense. The Pirates got very little production from their offense last year but would be a better fit if Andrew McCutchen departs the club. The Giants got minimal production from right field this year but Rafael Devers is likely to be their everyday DH next year.

Where do MLBTR readers think Castellanos would fit best in 2026? Have your say in the poll below:

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Cleveland Guardians Kansas City Royals MLBTR Originals MLBTR Polls Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres Nick Castellanos

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Guardians Re-Sign Austin Hedges

By Anthony Franco | October 15, 2025 at 10:29am CDT

The Guardians announced Wednesday morning that they’ve re-signed catcher Austin Hedges to a one-year deal. The Boras Corporation client reportedly receives a $4MM guarantee and the deal includes another $500K in performance bonuses: $125K each for 70, 75, 80 and 85 starts behind the plate.

Hedges returns to Cleveland on the same contract he has signed in each of the last two offseasons. It’s his third straight one-year deal to serve as the Guardians’ backup catcher. Cleveland continues to place enough emphasis on his receiving and game-calling ability to live with a complete dearth of offense out of that position.

Over parts of 11 seasons, Hedges is a .185/.244/.313 hitter. That includes a .157/.229/.251 mark in 326 plate appearances over the last two years. The 33-year-old isn’t going to provide anything offensively, yet he remains an elite defensive catcher. Statcast routinely grades him as one of the sport’s best pitch framers. He typically rates as high-end blocker, though this past season’s metrics were average in that regard. Hedges also cut down a third of the 45 runners who attempted to steal against him, well north of the 22.3% league mark.

While Hedges already grades very well by the quantifiable aspects of catcher defense, he’s probably even more highly-regarded for the intangibles. He has earned a fantastic reputation as a game-caller and for his rapport with pitchers. The Guardians aren’t pricing in any drop in his value with the forthcoming introduction of the challenge system to supplement the home plate umpire on balls and strikes.

There’d been speculation about the ABS being a potentially bad rule change for defense-only catchers. The Guardians seemingly don’t think that deals a hit to Hedges’ value. Catcher framing will still be a part of the game since teams are limited to two unsuccessful challenges until extra innings. The ABS obviously also doesn’t take away from a catcher’s game-calling acumen.

Cleveland catchers hit .187/.269/.344 on the season. That was almost entirely split between Bo Naylor and Hedges, with Dom Nuñez picking up the final seven plate appearances. Naylor didn’t hit at all through the end of August, though he did finish with a strong September. Unless they include Naylor in a trade package for a bigger bat behind the plate, they’ll stick with that tandem for a third straight season.

Hedges was one of three impending free agents for the Guardians. Reliever Jakob Junis and outfielder Lane Thomas are set to hit the market in a few weeks. The Guards also have a $6MM club option on lefty John Means. Hedges is their fifth player under contract for 2026, though that includes a $6MM salary for Emmanuel Clase. The former star closer is currently on administrative leave as MLB conducts a gambling investigation.

José Ramírez ($21MM), Tanner Bibee ($4MM) and outrighted reliever Trevor Stephan ($3.5MM) are the only other players on guaranteed salaries. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects the team’s arbitration class to make around $20MM, nearly half of which is in Steven Kwan’s $8.8MM projection. Non-tenders of Ben Lively, Will Brennan, Nolan Jones, Matt Festa, Kolby Allard and/or Sam Hentges could knock the arb class down by $5-10MM.

The Guardians have opened the past two seasons with a player payroll right around $100MM, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Cleveland isn’t likely to be huge spenders in free agency, but they could make a couple mid-level acquisitions similar to last winter’s deals to bring back Carlos Santana and Shane Bieber. The Guardians will be in the outfield market and could also look for an innings eater to complement a young rotation nucleus.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Hedges had agreed to a $4MM deal with Cleveland that contained $500K in incentives. The Associated Press reported the bonus structure. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.

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Mets To Hire Kai Correa As Bench Coach

By Darragh McDonald | October 14, 2025 at 5:15pm CDT

The Mets are going to hire Kai Correa as their new bench coach, reports Pat Ragazzo of SI. He’ll replace John Gibbons, who held that job with the Mets for the past two seasons. Correa has been with the Guardians for the past two campaigns with the title of major league field coordinator, director of defense/strategy/baserunning.

Correa, 37, is a Hawaii native who is clearly respected around the game. After many years coaching in college ball, he was hired by the Guardians in 2018 to coach in the minors. Ahead of the 2020 season, he was hired by the Giants as bench coach and infield instructor.

Towards the end of the 2023 season, the Giants fired manager Gabe Kapler. Correa was tapped as the interim skipper for the final three games of the season. The Giants went 1-2 in those contests. Correa received an interview for that open managerial position going into 2024 but Bob Melvin got the gig. It was then that he returned to the Guardians, this time in a major league coaching role.

After a disappointing 2025 season, the Mets are making a number of coaching changes. One of the departed is Gibbons, with Correa stepping in to take over as manager Carlos Mendoza’s bench coach. It has also been reported today that Jeff Albert will join the staff to run the hitting department, with another hitting coach hire to come. Albert and that unknown other coach will replace outgoing hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians New York Mets Kai Correa

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Rockies Have Interviewed James Click, Scott Sharp, Matt Forman In Front Office Search

By Darragh McDonald | October 14, 2025 at 4:30pm CDT

The Rockies are looking outside the organization for a new front office leader. Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports that they have interviewed James Click of the Blue Jays, Scott Sharp of the Royals and Matt Forman of the Guardians. It’s possible that the club has spoken with others but that’s at least three external candidates to have interviewed.

Colorado just wrapped up a third straight season of at least 101 losses. They haven’t had a winning record since 2018. Understandably, changes are necessary, even for a famously loyal and insular club like the Rockies. Manager Bud Black was fired in May. A few weeks ago, it was revealed that general manager Bill Schmidt and the club would also be parting ways. When the Rockies announced the Schmidt news, they noted that they would be looking for an external candidate to be the new head of their baseball operations. That’s a notable shift for the Rockies, who have received criticism for always promoting from within. It seems they are following through on the plan to look elsewhere, based on these potential candidates.

Of the three, Click is the one with experience running a front office. After many years working for the Rays, the Astros hired Click to be their general manager going into the 2020 season. The Astros were already a good club at that time but previous general manager Jeff Luhnow had been fired in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.

While Click had a head-start by inheriting a very strong team, he at least kept the good times rolling. They made it to the ALCS in the shortened 2020 season. In 2021, they won the West and made it to the World Series, though they lost to Atlanta. They managed to win it all in 2022, toppling the Phillies in the World Series that year.

Despite that continued success, Click and owner Jim Crane reportedly didn’t get along behind the scenes, leading to a rare instance of a club parting ways with a front office leader on the heels of a World Series title. A few months after leaving Houston, Click joined the Blue Jays as vice president of baseball strategy. He was reportedly a candidate for the Red Sox job a couple of years ago before pulling himself out of the running due to family considerations. The Sox eventually hired Craig Breslow to run their front office.

Sharp has been with the Royals since 2006, initially hired in a player development role. He got the assistant general manager title in 2015 and later added senior vice-president to his nameplate. Years ago, he received reported interest from clubs like the Mets and Angels. Last winter, he was connected the Giants general manager job working under president of baseball operations Buster Posey. Sharp withdrew his name from the running due to family considerations and Zack Minasian ultimately got that job. Last month, Sharp was connected to the Nationals’ front office search, before they hired Paul Toboni as president of baseball operations.

Forman joined Cleveland back in 2013 in a scouting role, getting promoted to assistant general manager after the 2016 season. He later added the title of executive vice-president to his office door. Like Sharp, he was connected to the Washington job last month before Toboni was hired.

Time will tell if any of these three are frontrunners or if they are just some of many names under consideration. What is also unknown is how much interest these three, or front office candidates in general, will be interested in joining the Rockies. Building a winner in Colorado will be a unique challenge. The altitude conditions are famously awful for pitchers. Even the hitters face a unique challenge, as breaking balls move differently in the mountains than at sea level. That means the bats are constantly adjusting when going on the road and back, leading many Rockies to have very wide platoon splits. It’s also been supposed that the thin Denver air present difficulties for injury management.

Those particular conditions may scare off some executives. On the other hand, the unique conditions might also attract a certain individual who is drawn to solving the puzzle and getting the recognition that would go along with that feat. There’s also the standard observation that there are only 30 jobs running a front office, so an individual who wants such a job may not want to close any doors. Teams generally don’t stand in the way of their employees interviewing for promotions elsewhere, so it’s unlikely the Jays, Royals or Guardians would stand in the way of these guys pursuing the job.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Kansas City Royals Toronto Blue Jays James Click Matt Forman Scott Sharp

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Guardians To Look For Outfield Upgrades This Winter

By Nick Deeds | October 12, 2025 at 9:07pm CDT

The Guardians managed to make a miracle run to not only squeak into the postseason, but pry the AL Central title away from the Tigers over the final weeks of the season. That wasn’t enough, however, to stop them from falling to their division rivals in the AL Wild Card series, sending them home just a few days into the postseason. Now that the offseason is upon them, Cleveland’s front office has turned its attention to the 2026 campaign. As Zack Meisel of The Athletic discussed earlier this week, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters in the aftermath of the Guardians’ loss that improving production in right and center field would be a priority this offseason.

That’s not necessarily a surprise. GM Mike Chernoff noted to reporters (including Meisel) that the club ranked 28th in runs per game this year, and described the offense as a “clear area” in need of improvement next season. Getting more offense out of the outfield should be the easiest way to do that by far, seeing as the Guardians ranked 29th in the majors with a 77 wRC+ from their outfielders this year. Part of that is due to left fielder Steven Kwan’s down season, although he still posted a 99 wRC+ and seems to be a fairly safe bet to handle left for Cleveland again in 2026, barring a surprise trade.

While there’s little reason to worry about Kwan in left, the same can’t be said for the other two outfield spots. Angel Martinez, Nolan Jones, Lane Thomas, and Jhonkensy Noel handled most of the reps at those positions, and all four turned in negative WAR performances according to Fangraphs this season. Thomas will be hitting free agency after this year’s injury-marred campaign where he appeared in just 39 games. The other three will all remain under club control next year, but none inspires much confidence heading into next year.

Some opportunity for improvement could come from within. Chase DeLauter has not yet made his regular season debut but appeared in the Wild Card series, and Meisel relays that Antonetti expects him to compete for a roster spot in Spring Training next year. Rookie George Valera managed a 113 wRC+ in 16 games this year and could get an opportunity next year, as well. Perhaps an outfield of Kwan in left, DeLauter in center, and Valera in right could work out for the Guardians, but it seems fair to argue that at least one external addition will be necessary to offer some certainty, and perhaps help balance a trio of lefty-swinging outfielders with a right-handed hitter.

Reuniting with Thomas is at least plausible, but he’s hit just .189/.258/.340 in 92 games with the Guardians over the past two seasons and a change of scenery may be what’s best for both sides. Harrison Bader would be perhaps an ideal acquisition for the team, but it’s possible that his excellent work with the Phillies down the stretch (129 wRC+ in 50 games) may have put him out of Cleveland’s price range. Rob Refsnyder and Austin Hays are both also set to be available in free agency this winter. Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia and Astros outfielder Chas McCormick are both possible non-tender candidates who could help improve Cleveland’s outfield mix with a bounce-back season, as well.

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Guardians Expect To Be Granted Fourth Option Year On Juan Brito

By Nick Deeds | October 12, 2025 at 5:17pm CDT

The Guardians expect to be granted a fourth option year on infield prospect Juan Brito, according to a report from Zack Meisel of The Athletic earlier this week.

Typically, players have three option seasons with one used each season during which the player spends at least 20 days on optional assignment in the minor leagues. A player is considered to be on optional assignment when on a club’s 40-man roster but sent to the minor leagues while not on a rehab assignment. Brito, 24, was selected to the 40-man roster in Cleveland in November of 2022 in a move that protected him from that year’s Rule 5 draft after he was acquired from the Rockies in exchange for Nolan Jones. Since then, Brito has been optioned to the minors in the 2023, ’24, and ’25 seasons with at least 20 days in the minors in each of those years.

Under normal circumstances, that would mean that Brito would have to be exposed to waivers before he could be sent back down to the minors starting in 2026. Occasionally, however, teams are granted a fourth option year on certain players, typically due to the player missing significant time with injury. MLB.com explains that players with less than five full professional seasons (defined as at least 90 days on a major or minor league active roster) are eligible for a fourth option year. That should certainly apply to Brito, who played full-season ball for the first time in 2022 and appeared in just 31 games this year between thumb and hamstring injuries that both ultimately required surgery. When fourth option years are granted to teams on their players, it’s most often in a situation like the one Cleveland now faces with Brito, where the player missed a significant amount of time due to injury during one of their option years.

Assuming the fourth option year is granted as expected, it should afford the Guardians additional flexibility as they look towards building their roster in 2026. Prior to his injury-marred 2025 season, Brito actually put together a strong performance in Spring Training and made a push for the Opening Day second base job, but the team ultimately cycled through Daniel Schneemann, Angel Martinez, and Gabriel Arias in that role before settling on Brayan Rocchio late in the year. All of those players wound up producing well below average results offensively, meaning that if Brito can return healthy and effective in 2026 there should be a path to big league reps for him barring an external addition that changes the makeup of the roster.

That’s especially true given how strong Brito’s results were in his limited sample of healthy games. After hitting .256/.365/.443 with 21 homers and 40 doubles at Triple-A in 2024, he more or less replicated that line in 99 plate appearances at the level this year where he slashed .256/.357/.463 with a 13.1% walk rate against a 21.2% strikeout rate. Even if Brito ends up winning the job come March, however, it’s not uncommon for rookie players to be optioned back to the minors at some point in their rookie season if they begin to struggle to give them a lower pressure environment in which to develop.

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Seven Players Elect Free Agency

By Mark Polishuk | October 11, 2025 at 10:57am CDT

Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents. Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.

To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2025 season without being added back. These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.

We’ll offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion. These free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.

Infielders

  • Abraham Toro (Red Sox)
  • Donovan Walton (Phillies)

Outfielders

  • Bryan De La Cruz (Yankees)
  • Leody Taveras (Mariners)

Pitchers

  • Carlos Hernandez (Guardians)
  • Erasmo Ramirez (Twins)
  • Devin Sweet (Phillies)
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2025-26 MLB Free Agents Boston Red Sox Cleveland Guardians Minnesota Twins New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies Seattle Mariners Transactions Abraham Toro Bryan De La Cruz Carlos Hernandez Devin Sweet Donovan Walton Erasmo Ramirez Leody Taveras

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Nic Enright To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By Darragh McDonald | October 7, 2025 at 2:55pm CDT

With the Guardians having been eliminated from the postseason, some details about their offseason are now coming to light. Per Tim Stebbins of of MLB.com, right-hander Nic Enright will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming weeks. That will mean he’ll miss the entire 2026 season. Also, designated hitter David Fry will be undergoing surgery for a deviated septum and a fractured nose. His timeline was not specified.

It’s a challenging situation for Enright, a young player who has already been through a lot. He announced in February of 2023 that he was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He had been with the Marlins at that time after that club took him from the Guardians in the Rule 5 draft a few months earlier. He was returned to the Guardians in June of that year.

In 2024, a lat strain limited him to just 17 Triple-A innings, though the results were good. He only allowed two earned runs on nine hits and five walks while racking up 32 strikeouts. The Guards gave him a 40-man spot in November of that year, to prevent him from being scooped up in the Rule 5 yet again.

That allowed him to make his major league debut this year, which went quite well. While frequently being shuttled to Triple-A and back, he logged 31 innings in the big leagues with a 2.03 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. He also had a 1.38 ERA in 13 Triple-A frames.

He was placed on the major league injured list in September due to right elbow/forearm inflammation. Presumably, he has spent the past month exploring his options, which has led him to the surgeon’s table. If the Guardians keep him on the 40-man roster through the winter, he could spend all of 2026 on the 60-day injured list. However, there’s no IL in the offseason, so he would need to hold a spot until then.

It has also been a challenging year for Fry. He seemed to break out in 2024, hitting 14 home runs in 122 games, leading to a .263/.356/.448 line and 129 wRC+. But shortly after that season ended, he required surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That was going to cause him to miss time in 2025 and be limited to DH duties when he did return.

He was reinstated from the IL at the end of May. He struggled badly, putting up a .171/.229/.363 line this year. His season was then ended in scary fashion when a pitch from Tarik Skubal hit him in the face. It was initially reported that he would recover in six to eight weeks without the need for surgery, though that plan has evidently changed. Ideally, he can heal up in time for a healthy offseason and spring training but perhaps more updates will be forthcoming throughout the winter.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

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22 Players Elect Free Agency

By Mark Polishuk | October 1, 2025 at 3:23pm CDT

Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents.  Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.

To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2025 season without being added back.  These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.

We’ll offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion.  These free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.

Catchers

  • Matt Thaiss (Rays)

Infielders

  • Sergio Alcantara (Diamondbacks)
  • Keston Hiura (Rockies)
  • Vimael Machin (Orioles)

Outfielders

  • Jordyn Adams (Orioles)
  • Connor Joe (Reds)
  • Jose Siri (Mets)

Utility Players

  • Scott Kingery (Angels)
  • Terrin Vavra (Orioles)

Pitchers

  • Scott Blewett (Orioles)
  • Noah Davis (Twins)
  • Kevin Herget (Mets)
  • Nick Hernandez (Astros)
  • Brooks Kriske (Twins)
  • Richard Lovelady (Mets)
  • Corbin Martin (Orioles)
  • Darren McCaughan (Twins)
  • Triston McKenzie (Guardians)
  • Cionel Perez (Orioles)
  • Jose Ruiz (Rangers)
  • Jordan Weems (Astros)
  • Bryse Wilson (White Sox)
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2025-26 MLB Free Agents Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins New York Mets Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Transactions Brooks Kriske Bryse Wilson Cionel Perez Connor Joe Corbin Martin Darren McCaughan Jordan Weems Jordyn Adams Jose Ruiz Jose Siri Keston Hiura Kevin Herget Matt Thaiss Nick Hernandez Noah Davis Richard Lovelady Scott Blewett Scott Kingery Sergio Alcantara Terrin Vavra Triston McKenzie Vimael Machin

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Guardians Promote Chase DeLauter For Wild Card Series

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | September 30, 2025 at 9:38am CDT

The Guardians are carrying top outfield prospect Chase DeLauter on their Wild Card series roster against the Tigers, the team announced. Zack Meisel of The Athletic first reported yesterday that the Guardians were considering that possibility. Guardians Prospective reported overnight that DeLauter would indeed be on the roster. Cleveland already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so they didn’t need to make another move to select the former first-rounder’s contract.

If he gets into a game, it’ll be the 23-year-old’s first MLB action. It’s rare but not entirely unheard of for top prospects to get a postseason roster spot before making their regular season major league debut. The Twins went that route with Alex Kirilloff in 2020, while the Royals had Adalberto Mondesi make his first appearance during the 2015 World Series. DeLauter is not in the starting lineup for this afternoon’s Game 1. Cleveland is going with Steven Kwan, Angel Martínez and Johnathan Rodriguez in the outfield against Tarik Skubal.

It’s certainly feasible that DeLauter finds his way into a game, of course, be it in the later innings this afternoon or tomorrow, when Detroit sends righty Jack Flaherty or Casey Mize to the mound. The lefty-swinging DeLauter is on the bench at least in part due to the presence of a southpaw on the mound. DeLauter posted much better numbers versus lefies than righties in a small sample during an injury-shortened 2025 season, but he’s historically been better against righties. Beyond that, left-handed batters have slashed a putrid .214/.235/.269 against Skubal in 2025.

DeLauter, the Guardians’ first round pick out of James Madison University in 2022, opened the season on the shelf after undergoing sports hernia surgery and was sidelined for two months later in the season after suffering a hamate fracture when he was hit by a pitch. That pair of health troubles limited him to just 42 games and 177 plate appearances, but the touted young outfielder lived up to his reputation when on the field, slashing .278/.383/.476 in Triple-A. DeLauter is a career .302/.384/.504 hitter in the minors since being selected 16th overall in 2022.

While DeLauter won’t gain any big league service time for days spent on the postseason roster, his ascension to the 40-man roster and the fact that the organization is entrusting him with a spot on the playoff roster is a clear sign that he’ll be in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot next year

Kwan is locked in as Cleveland’s left fielder, but other two outfield spots are far less certain. DeLauter has more than 300 professional innings in center and over 600 innings in right field. He’ll be an option in either spot, depending on other moves the front office makes over the winter. The Guardians can control DeLauter through at least the 2031 season, and assuming he breaks camp with the club in ’26, he can gain the Guardians a future draft pick depending on award voting during his pre-arbitration seasons.

That’s a matter for another day, though. For the time being, the focus for DeLauter and the organization will be on advancing as deep into the playoffs as possible. Cleveland just wrapped up one of the most stunning late-season comebacks in modern baseball history, erasing a 9.5-game deficit over the final two and a half weeks of the season, usurping the Tigers as division champions in the American League Central.

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