The Cleveland Guardians made two transactions at the catcher position on Saturday. They decided to
trade Christian Bethancourt of Panama City, Panama to the Florida Marlins for cash considerations on
Saturday and sign Austin Hedges of San Juan Capistrano, California to a one-year contract worth $4
million. Hedges is now one of three catchers on the Guardians roster, as he is joined by Bo Naylor of
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and David Fry of Irving, Texas.
Bethancourt never actually played for the Guardians. He was claimed off waivers by the Guardians on
November 6, after the 2023 Major League Baseball season concluded. Bethancourt has played for four Major League teams. He was with the Atlanta Braves from 2013 to 2015, the San Diego Padres in 2016 and 2017, the Oakland Athletics in 2022, and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and 2023. By being traded to the Marlins, Bethancourt is returning to the state of Florida for his Major League career.
Bethancourt’s 2023 MLB Statistics
In 2023, Bethancourt batted .225 with 11 home runs and 33 runs batted in. During 104 games, 332 plate
appearances, and 315 at bats, he scored 49 runs and had 71 hits, 16 doubles, one stolen base, 13 walks,
120 total bases, one sacrifice fly, an on base percentage of .254 and a slugging percentage of .381.
Bethancourt’s stolen base came in a 6-3 Rays win over the Seattle Mariners on September 10. The
stolen base was only the ninth stolen base in Bethancourt’s career that has lasted 365 games.
Hedges’s struggles in 2023
It was not a good 2023 season for Hedges as he shared his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas
Rangers. He batted only .184 with one home run and 16 runs batted in. Hedges did however win a
World Series with the Rangers, and played in game one of the World Series, a 6-5 Rangers win, in game one to open the Series. Expect Naylor to be the everyday catcher in Cleveland next season, with Hedges and Fry battling for the backup role.
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