Guardians locked up Jose Ramirez, is there enough offense around him?

CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez accomplished a longtime goal of his when he signed a seven-year extension, effectively ensuring he’ll be able to spend his entire career with Cleveland.

He’s easily on the path to accomplish several others, including induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’ll almost be a sure thing when he becomes the ninth player to join the 300-homers, 300-steals club, which could happen in 2026. It would be fully guaranteed if he becomes just the second player to reach 400-400, joining only Barry Bonds.

He’ll almost assuredly be the last Guardians player to ever wear No. 11 — at least without having to ask permission first. The ground for a statue might as well be blocked off now.

The last item on his checklist: a World Series ring. And, for that, he needs help up and down a Guardians lineup that ranked 28th last season in runs scored.

Bolstering the lineup around Ramirez is without question the No. 1 concern for the Guardians heading into Opening Day 2026, especially with a payroll that is projected to be around $78 million, with roughly $7 million of that potentially being taken off the books if Major League Baseball hands down further punishments to Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.

A $71 million payroll would represent roughly a $30 million drop from where the Guardians were in 2024 and 2025. And yet, despite the need to boost run production and the dip in payroll, the Guardians had a quiet winter on the free agency front while buried under all the snow, and while trying to work within the financial parameters they were given by ownership.

“We need to be better offensively,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said as the team announced Ramirez’s contract extension Jan. 29. “We were not good enough last year offensively. And so our belief is that we can get better and will get better through the players that are within the organization. And we’ve had choices to make this offseason about what we do.”

Guardians lineup heading into 2026

Barring a late addition only a few weeks before spring camp is set to open in Goodyear, Arizona, the Guardians will again be relying on their young talent to fill any gaps. That group includes outfielders Chase DeLauter and George Valera, former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana, infielder Juan Brito and potentially others.

It’s a similar situation the Guardians found themselves in around this time last year. But DeLauter, Valera, Bazzana and Brito all dealt with injuries while in the minor leagues, so when the major league lineup struggled, reinforcements weren’t available.

It nearly sunk their 2025 season and, without a truly historic September run by the starting rotation, it would have. (Of course, Clase and Ortiz running into their own alleged issues didn’t help, either.) It’s also a strategy, though, that worked beautifully in 2022 and 2024.

For many potential free agents (especially in the outfield), either the Guardians weren’t in a position to really make a comparable offer for some of the higher-priced players, or the more affordable veterans they might be able to bring in wouldn’t have been guaranteed a certain level of playing time. The presence of those prospects knocking on the door and their need for at-bats was a factor in Cleveland coming up short on a few free agent bids.

“There were some players that we targeted that fit a very defined role on our team, but we weren’t able to get them, and it wasn’t a financial reason,” Antonetti said. “In fact, the players that we made offers to signed elsewhere for very comparable deals. It was more about playing time, because we wanted to give those young players opportunities.”

The Guardians will likely need major contributions from DeLauter, Valera, Bazzana and/or Brito. They’ll probably need Steven Kwan to put together another All-Star season, and younger major leaguers like Kyle Manzardo, Bo Naylor, C.J. Kayfus and others to take steps forward. It’s set up to be the No. 1 driving force that will determine which direction the 2026 season goes.

Ramirez knows he’ll be in the No. 3 spot in the lineup. And he knows Cleveland is where he wanted to be for his entire career. That includes the realities of how the franchise operates each offseason.

“I understand the market that we’re in, so obviously what I can control is how I prepare, how I go about the season,” Ramirez said through a team translator. “I just control what I can control, which is I’m getting ready for the season.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians lineup has question marks around Jose Ramirez

Guardians locked up Jose Ramirez, is there enough offense around him?

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