Three biggest free-agent needs for Guardians, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox

The Hot Stove has been cold through the first three weeks of November, but the action is expected to heat up soon with MLB’s winter meetings nearing. In the meantime, we’re examining each team to identify its three biggest needs this offseason and which free agents could fulfill them.

Our series continues with the American League Central.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

1. Starting pitching: Cleveland’s pitching factory was tapped out, and the Guardians still cruised to 92 wins and a division title. Imagine how many wins they would’ve had if their starting rotation didn’t have a 4.40 ERA! Looking forward, they’ll want to ease the load on their elite bullpen. Whether they’re able to keep free agents Shane Bieber and Matthew Boyd or not, adding more arms to the rotation should be the first order of business this winter. Given their financial limitations, some of the answers might come on the trade block. Could they look nearby to Chicago and swing a deal for Garrett Crochet or Jameson Taillon? Or maybe there’s a match in Miami with its plethora of arbitration-eligible talents?

2. An impact bat: Steven Kwan is a unique talent and Josh Naylor provides some needed pop, but there aren’t a ton of imposing bats in the middle of this lineup outside of Jose Ramirez. The Guardians could use another impact bat, and while an everyday center fielder would make sense (allowing Lane Thomas to bump over to right field, where he’s better suited to play), the defensive position matters less than the offensive boost. Top prospects Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter could be helping soon, but they could really use another proven talent. Again, maybe this comes via trade. They have the prospects to create an intriguing package for Luis Robert Jr.

3. Catcher: Bo Naylor was a more valuable player in 67 games in 2023 than he was as the primary catcher in 123 games in 2024. The offensive leap didn’t happen, and while it certainly still could for the 24-year-old, the Guardians might be a little more impatient now that David Fry’s elbow injury likely takes him out of the catching mix. Like in center, however, there aren’t a ton of impact bats behind the plate in free agency. The Mariners have an excess of both starting pitching and catching options, so maybe they emerge as a trade partner.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

1. A leadoff man: Like the Central division winners, the Royals need more offensive juice around their superstar. Bobby Witt Jr. carried this offense to October, but the only players on this offense who played at least 100 games and had an OPS over .700 were Witt, Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino. Their leadoff hitters had a combined .604 OPS. That’s not going to get it done. This might be a fit for Gleyber Torres or Jurickson Profar, but any help at the top of the lineup will be a boost.

2. Outfield: The Royals need to upgrade the outfield, which produced a 78 wRC+ — the lowest mark of any team outside of Colorado. If the Royals don’t end up with one of Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández, Profar, Tyler O’Neill, Michael Conforto or Randal Grichuk (or trade for a player with a similar impact), they will likely come to regret it. They need to find someone who can inspire some fear in the middle of the order to lengthen a thin lineup.

3. Relief pitching: Lucas Erceg was a huge deadline add at the back end of the bullpen, and Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch also played important roles in relief down the stretch, but the Royals’ work isn’t done patching up the depth of the unit. Maybe a reunion with Scott Barlow or Aroldis Chapman would make sense, but anyone who can help pave the way to Erceg (Chris Martin? Blake Treinen? Danny Coulombe? Phil Maton? Andrew Chafin?) would be helpful.

1. Corner infield: Could the Tigers’ surprise postseason run get them to spend? They’re currently projected to have just an $80 million payroll in 2025, one of the lowest in the sport, and should theoretically have room to make a splash. Alex Bregman or Willy Adames would be terrific fits for a left side of the infield in need of a difference-maker. But this also feels like an important inflection point for Detroit to decide if 2020 top overall pick Spencer Torkelson is the future at first base. There are plenty of options (Christian Walker and Pete Alonso at the top of the market; Carlos Santana, Josh Bell, Paul Goldschmidt and Justin Turner a tier below) if they want more experience at the spot.

2. A right-handed (preferably infield) bat: The position flexibility of Matt Vierling and many of the youngsters on the roster should give Detroit leeway to find various ways to upgrade an offense that ranked in the bottom 10 in every slash line category and especially struggled to get runners on base. Parker Meadows, Colt Keith and Jace Jung all provided late season lifts, but they all also happen to bat with their left hand (as do mainstays Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter), so the Tigers need to find a way to pack more punch and balance the lineup with a more proven right-handed force, regardless of where that person plays.

3. Starting pitcher: The Tigers’ “pitching chaos” approach allowed for their late surge, but it’s probably not a sustainable method of success. Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson provide a solid starting point and top prospect Jackson Jobe should be ready for a more featured role, but the rotation could use a proven veteran piece for the developing group. Could Jack Flaherty, who thrived there in the first half, return after he was dealt at the deadline? Or how about bringing the band back together with Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander? Any of them or Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Yusei Kikuchi, Walker Buehler or Jose Quintana seem like possible matches.

1. Right-handed corner outfield: After slashing payroll and doing little to meaningfully bolster the roster last year, the Twins paid the price for their frugality. It sounds like this winter will offer more of the same. Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner both hit considerably better than league average last season, but neither hits lefties. The Twins can envision top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez roaming the outfield in the near future, but both of them are lefties, too. Randal Grichuk would be a good fit here if Twins ownership is willing to spend anything at all. Maybe the Angels would listen to an offer for Taylor Ward?

2. First base: The Twins could make Jose Miranda the primary player here, but he does not provide much defensively and struggled last year against lefties. The most logical solution would be bringing back veteran Carlos Santana, who just won a Gold Glove at the position and produced a .934 OPS against lefties. Justin Turner, Josh Bell or Donovan Solano could also be among the low-cost options. The bigger move would be swinging a trade for Yandy Diaz.

3. Relief pitching: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Cole Sands provide a healthy starting point, but Minnesota could use more depth in a bullpen that registered a 4.12 ERA as a group last season. If the Twins are only able to go bargain hunting, they should be able to still extract some affordable value from the relief market.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

1. Keep rebuilding: You might be shocked to learn the worst team in modern baseball history has far more than three needs. The White Sox need help everywhere, so condensing down to three seems pointless. The 2025 season, like the one before it, won’t have much winning. So, it’s about laying a new foundation. This team is not about to contend. The White Sox have injected more talent to their farm system the last couple of years by trading away Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Dylan Cease, Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech, and I’d expect more of the same with Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. potentially next in line to leave.

2. Evaluate the young talent: Does top position player prospect Colson Montgomery take a leap forward? Can Miguel Vargas start to realize his offensive potential? What about Drew Thorpe on the mound? How does the development look for pitching prospects Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, Jairo Iriarte and Ky Bush? This is the time for the White Sox to start to figure out which of their pieces might be part of the next contending White Sox team, whenever that might be.

3. Add a couple of veterans to flip: While the White Sox certainly won’t be shopping at the top of the free-agent market, I’d expect them to take a couple one-year fliers on veterans they could potentially turn into prospects at the deadline.

RELATED: AL East | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.