CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians have spent most of the winter building their 26-man roster for 2026. Yet with the exception of some moves in the bullpen, things don’t look much different from the team that won the AL Central last year while saddled with one of the worst offenses in the big leagues.
Yes, they extended All-Star José Ramírez’s contract through 2032, but he was going to be here anyway for the next three years under the terms of his original deal. Ramírez’s extension was important for the franchise, but not as important as finding him help for the upcoming season.
Which is why I’m unveiling my blueprint on how to build the G’s 2026 roster.
The uncertain future of closer Emmanuel Clase is still hovering over the Guardians’ plans for 2026.APFirst things first
First, we need to congratulate the 2025 Guardians for staging the biggest comeback in MLB history when they rallied from 15 1/2 games back in July to win the Central on the last day of the regular season. We also need to remember that while the Guardians staged a historic comeback, the front-running Tigers staged a near-historic collapse to make it possible.
The chances of such cosmic forces colliding again are remote. In other words, baseball miracles are few and far between.
Second, we need to get a ruling from Commissioner Rob Manfred as soon as possible on the future of closer Emmanuel Clase. The franchise leader in saves is under indictment by federal prosecutors for conspiring with gamblers by throwing rigged pitches since 2023. Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz, another Cleveland pitcher, are scheduled for trial in May.
The Guardians still owe Clase $6.4 million for 2026. If MLB penalizes him, the Guardians don’t have to pay him. An extra $6.4 million could help the Guardians acquire a hitter who could assist the offense for 2026.
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Ortiz doesn’t really factor into the equation because he’s still not eligible for arbitration.
Granted, $6.4 million isn’t going to land the next Shohei Ohtani, but with the flexibility Ramirez has given the Guardians by deferring $10 million annually from his seven-year extension, every dollar helps.
At the very least, that flexibility could be used to entice Stephen Kwan to sign an extension. Kwan, who will make $7.725 million this year, is two years away from free agency.
What kind of impact will rookie Chase DeLauter have on the Guardians’ 2026 offense?John Kuntz, cleveland.comA leap in faith
Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, has made it clear that the Guardians are not going for any quick free-agent fixes on offense. They’ve stubbed their toes one too many times on short-timers such as Josh Bell and Mike Zunino, but that doesn’t mean you just turn the whole season over to every prospect on the 40-man roster.
Who remembers the following performances from last year?
Outfielder Nolan Jones hit .211 (74 for 355) with 28% of his at-bats ending in strikeouts.Catchers Bo Naylor hit .195 (46 for 359) and Austin Hedges hit .161 (25 for 155). Shortstop Gabriel Arias struck out 162 times in 471 plate appearances.Daniel Schneemann hit .215 (45 for 214) headed into the All-Star break and .194 (32 for 165) after the break. The Guardians’ .226 team batting average was the lowest in franchise history.They became the first team (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 season) to make the postseason with a negative run differential (-6) since the 1987 Twins (-20).In a 10-game losing streak from June 26 through July 6, they were shut out five times and scored two or fewer runs three times.They finished last in the AL in runs with 643.
To bring back the position-player core of that team and expect a competitive offense to emerge is a leap of faith. Yes, Kyle Manzardo hit 27 homers last year and has added strength and weight over the winter. C.J. Kayfus (.357) and Naylor (.290) had good Septembers when the Guardians went 20-7. Second baseman Brayan Rocchio hit .257 with 32 RBI in the second half and Angel Martinez hit .279 (41 for 147) against lefties.
Is free agent outfielder Austin Hays on the Guardians’ radar?APFollow the money
But that’s not enough incentive to ignore all help from the outside. The Guardians’ payroll was an estimated $100 million last year. Right now, according to Baseball Prospectus, it’s projected to be $74 million.
The Guardians have topped 2 million in attendance for the last two years. They’ve been to the postseason two of the last three seasons, reaching the ALCS in 2024. They are supplemented annually by MLB’s revenue sharing plan.
The loss of their regional network TV contract two years ago with Main Street Sports Group hurt them financially, but there’s still money to work with.
Yes, a potential work stoppage is right around the corner when the basic agreement ends in December after the 2026 season. But it didn’t stop the Guardians from extending Ramirez, and it shouldn’t stop them from adding another player or two for the upcoming season.
Right-handed hitting outfielders Austin Hays (.266, 15 HR, 64 RBI) and Miguel Andujar (.318, 10, 44) are still on the free agent market.
Last year for Cincinnati, Hays hit .319 with a .949 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) against lefties and .249 with 13 homers and 47 RBI against righties. Andujar hit .389 (35 for 50) against lefties and .290 (67 for 231) against righties last season for Oakland and Cincinnati.
The Guardians went 22-24 against left-handed starters and 66-50 against right-handed starters last season. Even with David Fry’s anticipated return to good health, they could use a veteran right-handed hitter to balance the lineup. Last year they hit .224 against lefties and .227 against righties.
Six of the eight outfielders on the 40-man roster bat left-handed. That includes Kwan and rookies Chase DeLauter and George Valera, who are going to get a long look this spring if they can stay healthy. The Guardians did sign veteran outfielder Stuart Fairchild, a right-handed hitter, to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp.
If the Guardians trade a middle infielder, second baseman Travis Bazzana is waiting in the wings. Cleveland made Bazzana the first overall pick in the 2024 draft.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comHow about a trade
If there’s no free-agent matches, I’d push for a trade. The Guardians have depth in the middle infield with Arias, Rocchio, Schneemann, Martinez, Juan Brito and Angel Genao on the 40-man. Second baseman Travis Bazzana, the first player taken in the 2024 draft, is waiting in the wings at Triple-A.
The Giants have been looking for a second baseman all winter. The Guardians don’t have a high-profile trade candidate like Brendan Donovan of St. Louis, but they have numbers. Would the Guardians trade one of their middle infielders and a borderline starting pitcher for outfielder Heliot Ramos?
San Francisco just came to terms with free agent outfielder Harrison Bader. Ramos, 26, is a right-handed hitting outfielder who hit 23 homers in 2024 and 21 in 2025. He struck out 158 times last year but still posted a .728 OPS.
Guardians’ ace Tanner Bibee went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 31 starts last year.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comPitching depth
The Guardians’ strength is in the pitching staff. The rotation runs six deep with Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen and Parker Messick. It will be interesting to see who wins the fifth spot. Allen and Messick have options left. Cantillo does not, but he could open in the bullpen.
Manager Stephen Vogt has spent the winter talking about the depth of the rotation, but right now it gets iffy after the first six starters. It would be good to add a couple of low-cost free agents who would agree to open the season at Triple-A if they don’t make the big-league club.
In their rush to fill the void left by Clase, the Guardians may have overstocked the bullpen. They added Shawn Armstrong (no options), Connor Brogdon (no options), Colin Holderman (two options) and Rule 5 pick Peyton Pallette. Veterans Pedro Avila and Codi Heuer will be in camp on minor-league deals.
The newcomers will join the foundation of one of the best bullpens in the big leagues over the last two years in closer Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Matt Festa and Erik Sabrowski.
Who wins spots in the eight-man pen is going to be one of the most interesting competitions this spring.
The Guardians’ approach produces results. In the last 10 years, they’ve won six AL Central titles, reaching the postseason seven times. The offseason is far from over, but they’ve rarely been this quiet over the last decade when it comes to adding and subtracting from the roster.
They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt, but it’s important to add help to an outfield that, outside of Kwan’s contributions in left field, produced so little last year. Cleveland center fielders hit .199 (119 for 597) with a .574 OPS, while its right fielders hit .202 (108 for 535) with a .605 OPS. An OPS of .800 is considered to be All-Star level.
The one thing that can be said for so many parts of the Guardians’ roster is that there’s nowhere to go but up.