The Guardians announced this afternoon that they’ve signed outfielder Stuart Fairchild to a minor league deal. The deal includes a non-roster invite to MLB Spring Training.
Fairchild, 30 in March, was a second-round pick by the Reds back in 2017. He was traded to Arizona as part of the Archie Bradley deal back at the 2020 trade deadline and made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2021, but made his way back to Cincinnati (after brief pit stops in Seattle and San Francisco) by the end of the 2022. He’d spend the next few years in the Reds’ outfield mix and ultimately appeared in 223 games across parts of three seasons.
The outfielder hit fairly well during his time in Cincinnati, with a .232/.316/.403 slash line that was good for a 94 wRC+ overall. He split time between all three outfield spots with the Reds and managed to go a respectable 23-for-29 on the base paths during his time in the organization. While his overall production was slightly below league average, his ability to handle center field and swipe bases was valuable enough to keep him on the roster in a part-time role. Fairchild’s main draw was his ability to hit left-handed pitching as his .256/.354/.424 (114 wRC+) slash line against southpaws made him a solid complement to the team’s lefty outfield bats like Jake Fraley and Will Benson.
Headed into the 2025 season, however, the Reds lacked a clear path to a roster spot for Fairchild following the club’s acquisition of Austin Hays as well as the decision to move Spencer Steer into the outfield. With those righty bats in the club’s outfield plans, Fairchild became expendable and was designated for assignment. With a need for additional outfield depth while Ronald Acuna Jr. was on the injured list, the Braves traded for him not long afterwards. Between Acuna’s injury rehab and the early-season suspension of Jurickson Profar, there was plenty of playing time to be had in the Atlanta outfield mix. Fairchild took on some of that load, ultimately appearing in 28 games for the club where he hit a paltry .216/.273/.333 with a 27.3% strikeout rate across 55 plate appearances.
A dislocated pinkie finger cost Fairchild around a month of the 2025 season, and between that injury and poor performance when healthy he found himself DFA’d by Atlanta back in July. He was scooped up by the Rays in a minor trade but did not make an appearance for the MLB club before being designated for assignment once again at the outset of the offseason. He cleared waivers successfully and elected free agency, leading to the Guardians being able to add him on this non-roster pact.
For Cleveland, Fairchild’s addition means they’ve found a decent right-handed depth option for an outfield that lost Lane Thomas to the Royals in free agency this year. The Guardians have a heavily left-handed outfield mix as things stand, with Steven Kwan in left field, Chase DeLauter in center, and George Valera in right. Johnathon Rodriguez and Angel Martinez should serve as decent right-handed complements, but Fairchild offers some additional depth behind that group and protection against the possibility that the Guardians, whose 87 wRC+ in the outfield ranked 26th in the majors last year, don’t make a more significant addition on the grass.
Morgan’s kid.
The signing was announced by Tommy Flanagan.
So they cut Noel & signed this guy?
Noel was at times literally the worst hitter in baseball last season. Sure, he might suddenly figure out how not to swing at curveballs off the plate, but it ain’t likely. The Fairchild signing is not earthshaking but he is way better than Noel.
Ugh, not the type of move I’ve been expecting for the outfield.
Its a minor league contract for columbus. Dont get your underware in a bunch. Season doesnt start late march 2026. There will be trades or signing a hayes or resynder for right sticks !
…nor hoping for ! The offseason ‘heavy lifting’ seems finished now before the Holidays. Take a couple weeks off. Maybe a handful of ‘smaller signings
before and during spring training. There is the possibility of a trade or two, as Cleveland has extra 2B guys who will be someones default option
They are probably in on Bleday and Tauchman. I think one of them could fit well in Cleveland.
They’re both nice players (and I’d be willing to buy low on Bleday), but they lean way too heavily to the left as it is and neither of those guys would help with that. I’m pretty sure they had the highest platoon rate in the majors last year, so the best addition I’m hoping for at this point is a fourth outfielder that happens to hit right handed.
They’d both probably be upgrades, but not enough to make it worth further limiting their lineup flexibility.
Good point. Didn’t consider that. Probably looking into Austin Hays then.
He is literally a poor man’s Lame Thomas.