Alford signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati back in mid-February following a couple seasons overseas with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization. His return stateside didn’t go well as he batted .222 (8-for-36) with one homer in 12 games for Double-A Chattanooga prior to being cut loose. The 29-year-old was once one of the better prospects in baseball and hasn’t appeared in the big league since 2022.

The 28-year-old was never able to put anything together stateside -- slashing just .209/.275/.368 over 240 plate appearances in his big league career. He shined in his first season with the Wiz though -- hitting .286/.362/.509 with 14 homers and 50 RBI in just 80 games.

Alford already has a deal lined up with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization. The 27-year-old former top prospect leaves behind a .209/.275/.368 batting line in 240 career major league plate appearances.

Alford was able to latch on with the Guardians, and will report to Triple-A Columbus, just a few days after being designated for assignment by the Pirates and electing free agency. The 27-year-old former top prospect holds an underwhelming .209/.275/.368 triple-slash line with eight homers and 11 stolen bases across 240 plate appearances at the major-league level since 2017.