CLEVELAND -- Austin Hedges is back.

Hedges was the man with the perfect one-liners, known for his shirtless celebrations during the Guardians’ 2022 postseason run. He captivated fans with his personality and brought tremendous life to an already youthful clubhouse. And now, the catcher will be back in Cleveland for the 2024 season.

Sources tell MLB.com that Hedges' one-year contract is worth $4 million. The club hasn’t confirmed the deal. At first, the news was puzzling, considering the team had Bo Naylor, Christian Bethancourt and David Fry on the 40-man roster. Later, it was announced that the Guardians had traded Bethancourt to the Marlins in exchange for cash considerations, freeing up a roster spot for Hedges.

Hedges isn't Cleveland's offensive answer. The club knows that. But the Guardians have vocalized how important leadership is behind the dish. Hedges has that (and then some), which can be a great example for Naylor, who's expected to handle the bulk of the catching duties in ’24.

While Fry -- a utility man -- can serve as a third catching option when needed, Hedges can help spell Naylor every so often while teaching him the ins and outs of running the game and handling a pitching staff. The Guardians have been the youngest team in baseball each of the past two seasons. Not much will change in 2024, making Hedges’ presence in the clubhouse even more important.

While the 31-year-old owns a career .189/.246/.321 slash line, he offers plenty of value with his glove. An excellent pitch-framer, Hedges ranked second in the Majors with 13 catcher framing runs in 2023. He also tied for sixth with eight blocks above average -- the type of defensive example the Guardians would love to have for Naylor.

The organization tried to use Mike Zunino in this type of a role for Naylor last year. Instead, Zunino struggled both offensively and defensively and was designated for assignment in June. Cam Gallagher did his part to fill in, but a personality like Hedges (or Zunino, if he would’ve panned out) is what the Guardians need.

Hedges originally joined Cleveland in the 2020 trade that sent righty Mike Clevinger to the Padres. He left the Guardians as a free agent after the ’22 season and signed with the Pirates last offseason before being traded to the World Series champion Rangers in August.

For an organization that demonstrated its lack of financial flexibility by saying it didn’t have the necessary resources to keep a starter like Cal Quantrill, who was projected to make $6.5 million in arbitration this winter, it was able to find a way to lock up Hedges for $4 million. By trading Bethancourt, who’s projected to make $2 million in arbitration according to Cot's Contracts, in exchange for cash, it helps the Guardians navigate most of his contract. But how else they will be able to add this offseason remains to be seen.