The Cleveland Guardians desperately need to add more firepower to their offense. They only outscored the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates last season, and that’s not going to get the job done very often.
With that in mind, most analysts agree that they need to address the need for a slugger in the offseason. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean they’re going to take a page out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ book and spend big bucks to do so.
Considering that, Guardians analyst Paul Hoynes shared his predictions for four players who might take their talents to Progressive Field next season. And while they’re not necessarily the biggest names in the game, they could certainly be quite helpful:
“What that means is top-shelf free agents Pete Alonso, Kyle Tucker or Kyle Schwarber won’t be in manager Stephen Vogt’s lineup in 2026 to help an offense in need. But there are other hitters out there who may fit the Guardians’ budget such as Ryan O’Hearn, Mike Yastrzemski, Harrison Bader and Austin Hays,” Hoynes wrote.
The Guardians have never been known for their determination to sign big checks. If anything, they’re the type of team that usually looks to move on from their good players once they start getting a little too pricey.
That’s to say that the fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about any potential big signing because that’s pretty much off the table by now. Still, they’re usually very good at identifying mid-tier players on reasonable deals.
The Guardians will hope that their young players will also be a factor. Guys like Chase DeLauter, C.J. Kayfus, George Valera, and Travis Bazzana can end up being prime reinforcements this season.
Then again, they can’t bank all their hopes on rookies. It’ll be interesting to see what moves they make and how they bolster this team in the offseason.
NEXT: MLB Analyst Reveals Guardians' 'Biggest Needs' In Offseason
