Three Realistic Outfield Free Agent Targets For Guardians

Jason Heyward, Kevin Kiermaier, and Garrett Cooper are all intriguing free-agent targets for the Cleveland Guardians.

It would be awesome to see the Cleveland Guardians sign a big-name free agent such as Cody Bellinger to a mega contract that keeps him in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. However, that's just not the formula of this front office.

With that being said, here are some realistic free-agent outfielders the Guardians should target this winter.

Jason Heyward

Cleveland fans may need to look past the 2016 World Series for this one to work. 

Jason Heyward has had an up-and-down career. He was a sensation when debuting with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and eventually signed a mega deal with the Chicago Cubs before the 2016 season. The end of this tenure wasn't great in terms of production and both sides were ready to move on.

Heyward rejuvenated his career during the 2023 campaign and went under the radar as he slashed .269/.340/.473 and hit 15 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This sort of play would certainly be an upgrade over what Cleveland currently has penciled into right field.

Kevin Kiermaier

One area the front office needs to address with the entire team is how they hit against left-handed pitching. It wasn't great last season as they had a .232 batting average as a team (second lowest in baseball) and were 24-35 against left-handed starters.

Kevin Kiermaier could be the perfect player to bring in and platoon in the outfield. He had a .281 batting average and an OPS of .708 during the 2023 season. 

Jul 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) takes batting practice against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Cooper

Simply put, the Guardians need to add some pop to their lineup and ideally, that comes from one of their outfielders. Garrett Cooper is someone who can help with that.

Cooper was traded to the San Diego Padres at the 2023 trade deadline after spending the previous seasons with the Miami Marlins. He slugged a total of 17 home runs last season which is by no means an All-Star level number, but it also would've been tied for second highest with Josh Naylor on Cleveland's roster.