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Hey, Hoynsie: Did Gavin Williams overtake Tanner Bibee as the Guardians ace? Is it safe to say that Williams will be the opening day starting pitcher in Seattle on March 26? — Andy Mees, Sandusky.
Hey, Andy: I think Bibee is still the ace of the staff. He’s led the team in starts and innings pitched the last three years.
Still, it’s impossible to say who will start opening day in 2026. Last season Bibee earned that right, but was sidelined with food poisoning. A lot can and will happen between now and opening day.
It is encouraging when the Guardians have two young starters good enough to compete for ace status.
Guardians’ Nolan Jones.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the signing of Nolan Jones is for defensive help in the later innings, especially if you are playing the youngsters in the outfield. — Jim Harris Newark.
Hey, Jim: I don’t think so. It’s not like he’s a Gold Glove outfielder.
After watching Jones last season, I was surprised that the Guardians gave him a $2 million contract on Nov. 21 for 2026. They must believe he’s a much better player than he showed last season when he slashed .211/.296/.304 and struck out 32% (113 for 355) of the time.
Hey, Hoynsie: Baltimore picked up Taylor Ward from the Angels at a price it looks like the G’s could have afforded. Were they interested? — David England, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Hey, David: The Guardians had interest in Ward, but they weren’t willing to give up potentially a frontline starting pitcher.
Ward, a right-handed hitter with power, hit 36 homers with 113 RBI last season. He would have fit into the Guardians’ lineup well even though he’s a free agent after the 2026 season.
The Orioles sent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, a former No. 1 pick, to the Angels. Rodriguez missed the 2025 season with right lat and elbow injuries, but was 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts in 2024. If Rodriguez regains his health, he has the talent to be the ace the Angels’ need, and he won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season.
Former Guardians’ reliever Eli Morgan.Diamond Images/Getty Images
Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any chance of the Guarians re-signing right-hander Eli Morgan? — Jeff Prusator, Tiskilwa, Illinois.
Hey, Jeff: The Guardians used an eighth round pick to draft Morgan in 2018, but I think his return to Cleveland after being non-tendered by the Cubs on Nov. 21 would be unlikely.
He dealt with right elbow problems last season and made only seven appearances for the Cubs.
Hey, Hoynsie: Why do the Guardians have to continue to pay Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while MLB continues to investigate them? Cleveland is already a money challenged franchise. Why doesn’t MLB pay them? — Timothy McPheron.
Hey, Timothy: When the regular season ends, so do the paychecks for all players, including Clase and Ortiz. Clase and Ortiz are on MLB’s restricted list, which means they do not count on the 40-man roster.
As for 2026, if Commissioner Rob Manfred rules that Clase and Ortiz violated MLB policies on gambling, the Guardians do not have to pay them. Clase and Ortiz will have the right to go to arbitration.
Hey, Hoynsie: Among the players who were non-tendered, I’d like to see the Guardians go after Kansas City outfielder-catcher MJ Melendez. He had a lightning-quick bat. — Bob Maistros, Lake Worth, Florida.
Hey, Bob: Melendez would probably be a better fit for the Guardians if he hit right-handed instead of left-handed. He’s shown power in the big leagues, and hit 20 homers at Triple-A last season, but he played only 23 games for the Royals, who needed offense almost as badly as the Guardians did.
Free agent Ryan O’Hearn.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Hey, Hoynsie: I think the Guardians should go after Ryan O’Hearn in free agency. He might be a good fit, who wouldn’t break the bank. —Mark Hodermarsky,
Hey, Mark: Again, I’d like O’Hearn a lot better if he batted right-handed instead of left-handed. I do like the way he’s turned his career around after he got out of Kansas City. He’s become a solid run producer, but his best position defensively is first base. Do the Guardians want to sign him and stifle the development of Kyle Manzardo, who hit 27 homers last season?
Hey, Hoynsie: If you like guys that got the majority of their home runs and RBI when their team was winning 9-1 or losing 9-1, then you like Edwin Encarnacion. — Kirk Brady.
Hey, Kirk: I think you’re being a little unfair to the former Guardians’ DH, who is on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. He hit 424 homers in his career, including 64 in 2017 and 2018 for Cleveland, so some of them had to come at important parts of the game.
Encarnacion hit .268 (475 for 1,774) with runners in scoring position in his career. That’s a good number for a power hitter.
With the bases loaded, he hit .282 (53 for 188) with eight grand slams and 88 RBI. He had to be doing something right.