The Cleveland Guardians are in the 2026 playoff race because of their excellent young core. Travis Bazzana, Parker Messick, Brayan Rocchio, Gavin Williams, Chase DeLauter, Angel Genao, and several others show their worth every day. Even Ralphy Velazquez, who is in Triple-A but generating buzz because of his potential call-up, can be included in this group.
Two of them, however, make perfect sense when thinking about potential long-term contract extensions.
Gavin Williams
Perhaps the Guardians want to go year by year with Messick, because he won’t be a free agent until after the 2031 season. He is a strong starting-pitcher extension candidate, though.
However, Williams is much closer to free agency, and that makes the situation a bit more urgent. The power pitcher has a 3.98 ERA this season, which is good but not elite, but his 204 strikeouts speak for themselves.
He can be among the most dominant right-handers in the game, and the possibility of extending his stay in Cleveland beyond 2029 is very much in play. He is about to enter his arbitration years, which means he could get very expensive.
If the Guardians get creative, they could cover those three arbitration seasons plus a couple of free agency years with a five- or six-year deal until he is 32 or 33 years old.
Chase DeLauter
Yes, DeLauter has suffered more than his fair share of injuries over the course of his pro career. So, there are at least some questions about the outfielder’s long-term durability. However, the Guardians don’t have many hitters like the lefty-swinging rookie, and a long-term marriage makes plenty of sense.
DeLauter entered Saturday with the best wRC+ on the team at 130, by a considerable margin. He has also accumulated 2.7 fWAR in his debut campaign.
If you want to feel better about DeLauter, many of his injuries have been freak accidents that have forced him to miss time. It’s not like his lower-body muscles are weak, or his shoulder or arm is particularly problematic. That’s not the case, so while the injury-prone label might be fair, he shouldn’t be penalized too harshly.
The truth is that DeLauter is a well-above-average hitter with enough power to post 13 home runs, 22 doubles and three triples in 472 plate appearances this year. His home run ceiling is closer to 25 or even 30, so he has room to grow.
DeLauter won’t be a free agent until after the 2031 season, but because he has considerable earning potential in his arbitration years, it could make sense for Cleveland to get some cost certainty, and the player could secure his financial future for life with an extension.
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