This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell's Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Guardians Newsletter! It may be the offseason, but the fun here doesn’t have to stop. Just a reminder, I’m Mandy Bell and I just wrapped up my fourth season covering Cleveland for MLB.com. OK, let’s get into the good stuff.

Did someone say Hot Stove season?

The offseason is upon us and free agency is underway. Now that the quiet period is over, let’s answer the most important questions heading into the offseason:

Which players are free agents?
Backstop Austin Hedges was the only player on Cleveland’s 40-man roster to enter free agency. Righty reliever Bryan Shaw, who was designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Columbus just before the postseason got underway, also became a free agent.

Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when does the club have to make that decision?
Let’s first lay out the nine arbitration-eligible players on Cleveland’s roster:

Shane Bieber
Amed Rosario
Cal Quantrill
Josh Naylor
Zach Plesac
Aaron Civale
Luke Maile
James Karinchak
Anthony Gose

Of this list, Maile and Gose make the most sense to be non-tender candidates. The Guardians need a starting catcher to help prepare Bo Naylor to eventually take over the everyday gig, and it seems more likely for Hedges to return to be that guy than Maile. Gose is expected to miss 2023 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

This year’s non-tender deadline is Friday.

Who else needs to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft, and when does that need to be set?
After the Guardians added an unprecedented 11 players to their 40-man roster in preparation for a Rule 5 Draft that was eventually canceled due to last season's lockout, there isn’t quite the same need to add a handful of players this time around. So many of Cleveland’s prospects are already on the 40-man roster, especially after a handful of guys like Naylor and Will Brennan, who would’ve been Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason, were called up at the end of the regular season.

Who does that leave? Infielder Angel Martinez (No. 11) and left-hander Joey Cantillo (No. 23) are Cleveland’s duo of Top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, who would be susceptible to the Rule 5 Draft this winter. Right-hander Ethan Hankins (who missed all of 2022 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery) and righty Peyton Battenfield were part of the club’s Top 30 prospects in 2021 and will also be Rule 5 Draft eligible if left unprotected.

Players must be added to the 40-man roster by Tuesday.

What kind of help do they need, and will they be active in free agency? Who might they target?
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti explained earlier this week at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas that adding a catcher will be at the top of his priority list this offseason. Cleveland won’t be a player in top-dollar free agents, but a reunion with Hedges wouldn’t be too surprising.

From there, the team has some holes at first base (defensively) and in the lineup, and is missing a much-needed power bat in the heart of the order. And the Guardians could always benefit from more starting pitching depth to help bridge the gap to when their younger top pitching prospects are ready to transition in the Majors.

Who might they be willing to trade?
If Cleveland is going to add, a trade seems more likely than a free-agent signing simply because the roster is overcrowded with young talent. The easiest areas to trade from would be the middle infield, considering Gabriel Arias, Andrés Giménez, Amed Rosario, Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio and Jose Tena are Major League-ready (or will be soon) middle infielders. The club may also be interested in shopping someone at the back end of its rotation, like Plesac.