Three Positives Heading Into 2025
It’s been a tough offseason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to look forward to in 2025.
This has been quite a rough offseason for many Guardians fans like myself. From favorite players getting traded away to the cancellation of this year’s Guards Fest, it may seem like it’s hard to find anything to look forward to in 2025. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that make this upcoming season worth getting excited for. Here are three of them.
‘Los is Back in the Land
On December 23rd, the Guardians announced an early Christmas present for us fans. Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana had signed with the team after becoming a free agent with the Minnesota Twins in October. This will be Santana’s third time playing for Cleveland after an eight-season stretch between 2010 and 2017 and a two-season stint in ‘19 and ‘20. According to reporter Andre Knott, Santana never sold his house in Cleveland even though he’s played for six different teams since his 2017 departure.
With the departure of Josh Naylor, Santana is the perfect option to take over at first base as Kyle Manzardo continues to learn the ins-and-outs of Major League play. Last season with Minnesota, he hit .238/.328/.420 and won a Gold Glove award. Not bad at all for a guy in his age-38 season. If he can have another season like that, his spot in the lineup will be well taken care of.
Bieber is Back Too
Cy Young winner Shane Bieber had a very turbulent start to the 2024 season. In his first (and only) two games, he looked like he was completely back to the 2020 version of himself. Zero earned runs, one walk, and 20 strikeouts across 12 innings gave us fans hope that our ace had returned. That was until April 6th when he was placed on the 15-day Injured List with an elbow injury. That could only mean one thing. Sure enough, it was announced four days later that he would be undergoing Tommy John surgery and his season was over.
At the time, many had figured that meant the end of his time in Cleveland as well. He became a free agent at the end of the 2024 season and it only made sense that he would want to take his Cy Young award elsewhere for more money. However, the fans were completely proven wrong on December 11th when he signed a one-year deal to stay in Cleveland. While he won’t be ready until mid-season, he mentioned how nice it is for the team to have his back through his recovery.
Nakken Moves to Cleveland
Alyssa Nakken, former assistant coach for the San Francisco Giants, made a huge move on November 22nd as she left the Giants and became a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken has made history multiple times in her career, most notably by becoming the first female on-field coach by taking over for the Giants’ first base coach on April 12, 2022 after he was ejected. She also became the first woman to interview for a managerial job when the Giants were looking for a new leader.
For the Guardians, she’ll be taking on the role of Assistant Director of Player Development. She’ll also be reuniting with former Giants coaches, Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa who now coach in Cleveland. Her many years of experience both on and off of the field will bring great value to this young team, and it’s very exciting to see how she will continue to break barriers in this great sport.