There is one more week until baseball is back to relevance. The Winter Meetings kick off on December 8th down in Orlando, Florida. The Winter Meetings are where the ‘Hot Stove’ heats up, and you get rumors and scenarios for trades and free agent signings.

You even get some pen to paper on some deals and trades with all the team’s General Managers and players’ agents in one concentrated area.

The Guardians have remained relatively quiet so far this offseason, with signings of Austin Hedges and non-tendering of the contracts for Will Brennan, Sam Hentges, and Nic Enright. They have a few needs that should be addressed over the winter and into the spring, most notably a power bat and a first baseman.

Tim Stebbins of MLB wrote a preview piece as part of his newsletter, outlining the team’s biggest needs and what to expect in Orlando next week. Stebbins’ main focus points for the Guardians are, as mentioned, a power bat, a veteran outfielder, a right-handed hitter, and the bullpen.

Some of these can be combined into one player, some will take multiple moves, so what can Guardians fans expect?

The main name to focus on is Steven Kwan.

There have been rumors connecting him to trades dating back to this past year’s trade deadline. He has been connected to several teams, most notably the Dodgers. Kwan is an extremely part of this team, both offensively and defensively. He has won a Gold Glove in each of his seasons in the majors and is also known as one of the best contact hitters in baseball, hardly ever swinging and missing. 

If Kwan is moved, it would need to be a big-time trade that helps the Guardians now as well as in the future. Finding a Gold Glove-winning player who can hit close to .300 and lead off your lineup is extremely hard to find.

The bullpen will need some bolstering as well, with Emmanuel Clase not returning anytime soon and the loss of Kolby Allard, Jakob Junis, and Nic Enright. There are plenty of big names out there that will be looking for suitors starting at the Winter Meetings. Some have already been linked or signed to other teams, but someone like Edwin Diaz or Devin Williams is still out there to take on Clase’s massive shoes.

With Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana expected to be a part of the Guardians’ plans in 2026, the largest hole left would be first base. Munetaka Murakami is still unsigned, and despite being a primary third baseman, he does play first base and can also DH.

Adding a big-time bat like Murakami to play first base and spell Jose Ramirez at times, while batting every day in a lineup that needs power and average, would be a monster signing for this team.

Murakami is unlikely to sign during the Winter Meetings, but the first base position is one to watch as the meetings develop. If they leave that spot open, look for contact with Murakami. If not Murakami, you can expect CJ Kayfus and Kyle Manzardo to split reps next season, most likely. 

The main focus for the Guardians at the Winter Meetings and throughout the remainder of the offseason should be their lineup. This team was in the bottom three in runs per game, ahead of only the Rockies and Pirates. If they expect to repeat as AL Central champions and beyond, they are going to need to give Jose Ramirez some help in that lineup. Whether it comes from trades or signings remains to be seen.