NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 18: James Karinchak #99 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts against the New York Yankees. MLB news (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Free agency gives teams the opportunity to bolster their roster during the offseason. These three MLB teams have been underwhelming thus far.
Free agency in Major League Baseball has all but concluded. Sure, there are a few players who remain unsigned, but for all intents and purposes, most general managers have set their roster for the upcoming season.
So far, we’ve seen the New York Yankees re-sign American League MVP Aaron Judge, Xander Bogaerts ink a contract with the San Diego Padres, and Steve Cohen’s New York Mets throw caution to the wind while signing Justin Verlander, Edwin Diaz, and Brandon Nimmo to massive contracts.
But not every franchise has broken the bank this offseason. In fact, based on their lack of interest in free agents this offseason, there are a handful of teams who appear to have already thrown in the towel on the 2023 season. But let’s look at three teams that have underdelivered this offseason when it comes to free agent signings.
MLB news: The Cleveland Guardians have underdelivered in free agency this offseason.
The Cleveland Guardians surprisingly made their way to the postseason last year after many experts and pundits expects Terry Francona’s squad to finish dead-last in the American League Central Division.
The Guardians lost in the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Round. But after reaching the ALDS last season, the Guardians seem willing to continue to build their team from the inside rather than diving into the free agent market.
Aside from inking first baseman Josh Bell to a two-year/$33M contract this winter and adding catcher Mike Zunino to a one-year contract, it’s been pretty quiet along the shores of Lake Erie this offseason.
While both the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals may not be much of threat for the Cleveland Guardians next season, the Minnesota Twins have their eye on regaining control of the AL Central. And don’t sleep on the Chicago White Sox either. Have the Guardians done enough this offseason to retain the division crown?