The Cleveland Guardians certainly should be exploring the free agent market for some bullpen help. However, the front office shouldn’t just go out and sign the first reliever that comes to mind.

Cleveland desperately needs to add a pitcher with some more swing-and-miss and punchout potential. The Guardians were in the middle of the pack when it came to the number of strikeouts by relievers, and that was with Cade Smith, who punched out the second-most batters in the American League last season.

There is one free agent reliever on the market who could help solve this issue for the Guardians: Ian Hamilton.

Why The Guardians Should Consider Signing Ian Hamilton

The 30-year-old spent the last three seasons with the New York Yankees and over that three-year stretch posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.268 WHIP, plus three saves. Those are solid for a versatile reliever who has experience as an opener and in high-leverage situations.

What Hamilton would really bring to Cleveland’s bullpen is the potential to strike out batters.

During the 2025 season, Hamilton recorded a strikeout rate of 25.3 percent, a whiff rate of 27.8 percent, and a chase rate of 31.5 percent. All three numbers were well above league average, and that’s exactly why Cleveland needs to add to the bullpen.

Those numbers were even better during the 2024 season, showing that Hamilton has a history of being a swing-and-miss pitcher.

It’ll be interesting to see what type of contract Hamilton demands in free agency. That said, the Guardians should have some money for this winter. Whether they want to spend that on a reliever is another question.

Cleveland did last offseason when they signed Paul Sewald and Jakob Junis.

Interestingly, the Guardians actually acquired Hamilton once. They traded Sandy Leon to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2023 deadline, and he spent the rest of the season and Triple-A before electing free agency in the offseason.

Perhaps the organization saw something in him three years ago, but never had a spot on the MLB roster for him to make an impact.

Hamilton would clearly fill a need for the Guardians, and now could be the perfect time to bring him back to Cleveland.