The Cleveland Guardians have some obvious needs that need to be addressed this offseason if they have the intention of finally getting over the hump and back into the World Series. Cleveland has won the AL Central the past two years, but during both playoff runs, it was obvious that the offense wasn’t good enough to end its lengthy championship drought.
It has been quiet so far, but at some point, the Guardians are going to have to make some noise in the market. The lineup has holes, which is why the Guardians were named as a potential suitor for a former Milwaukee Brewers infielder who is an accomplished veteran hitter.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about seven free agents who are likely to be playing elsewhere in 2026, and he named first baseman Rhys Hoskins as a potential fit for Cleveland.
“With that said, Hoskins has always been able to mash lefties, and he’s been touted as a great clubhouse presence throughout the course of his career. Someone will take a shot on him as a first base/DH option, with the Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies and [Miami] Marlins among those who make sense as possible suitors for Hoskins,” Kelly wrote.
Hoskins played the past two seasons with Milwaukee after missing the 2023 campaign due to a torn ACL, which ended his time with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hasn’t been quite the same hitter since then, though he did have 38 home runs in 221 games for the Brewers.
His power would be a huge boost to a Guardians lineup that doesn’t have enough pop. Considering his age (he’ll turn 33 before next season) and his decline in production since the injury, he could be a cheap short-term solution for the Guardians.
First base isn’t valued around the game like it used to be. That makes it much easier to find power at the position on the market.
This is the kind of move the Guardians need to be looking into, and perhaps it will come to fruition in the coming weeks.
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