CLEVELAND, Ohio — After the Guardians were eliminated in the American League Championship Series, catcher Austin Hedges told reporters that he was proud to be a Cleveland guy.
Hedges, 32, will be a Cleveland guy again in 2025 as the Guardians have reached agreement with the veteran free agent on a one-year, $4 million deal to serve as the club’s backup catcher, a league source confirmed to cleveland.com.
“I love this city, I love this organization, I’m really, really proud to be a part of this group,” Hedges said on Oct. 19, indicating his openness to re-signing with the club.
The Guardians announced earlier this week that All-Star utility man/catcher David Fry had undergone elbow surgery last week in Dallas that will force him to miss 6-8 months, and will limit him to designated hitter duty for up to 12 months. Signing Hedges provides the club a capable backup for starter Bo Naylor, who Hedges mentored along with Fry throughout the 2024 campaign.
Fry praised Hedges immediately following Cleveland’s Game 5 loss to the Yankees, saying it is impossible to quantify what Hedges brings to Cleveland’s clubhouse every day, and how everybody looks up to him.
“I’ve told so many people this all year, that guy could get zero hits and he is underpaid,” Fry said. “What he’s taught me and Bo as catchers, how to prepare, what he does for a pitching staff, what he does for a clubhouse. I don’t think there’s a number that could be put on it.”
Hedges told reporters that despite a 92-win regular season and a division title, in his view the job was not done.
“We’ve got this entire team coming back,” Hedges said. “A lot of teams go in and they change personnel year after year, but this is very similar group coming back next year and I think the Cleveland fans have a lot to look forward to.”
Hedges appeared in 65 games, batting .152 with a pair of home runs and 15 RBI for the AL Central Division champions.
Pitchers posted a 3.93 ERA in his 65 games behind the plate, including a 26-20 mark in his 46 starts. Hedges recorded five defensive runs saved and was credited with +6 catcher framing runs, according to Statcast. The veteran backstop also ranked in the 75th percentile among major league catchers in blocks above average.
Hedges played in eight out of 10 postseason games, covering 35 innings. Since 2022, the Guardians have won better than 60% of their games played when Hedges starts behind the plate (86-57).
He signed a one-year deal with worth a reported $4 million last December after splitting the 2023 season between Pittsburgh and Texas. An integral part of Cleveland’s 2022 division title club, Hedges was viewed as a missing ingredient in 2023 as the team struggled to a 76-86 mark and missed the postseason.
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters Hedges made a “massive impact” on the team through his contributions on the field and his impact in the clubhouse, as well as the energy that he brought to the team every day.
“He’s another player that helps elevate everyone around him,” Antonetti said. “He elevates the environment and help players get better. Some of the success we had and the success we had on the mound are largely a function of contributions Austin made.”