The wait is officially over, as the 2026 MLB season is underway. The Cleveland Guardians will play the Seattle Mariners on Opening Day, with Tanner Bibee facing Logan Gilbert starting at 10:10 pm ET.
Before Bibee throws the first pitch of the Guardians season, it’s time to get bold. Here are five predictions involving the team that aren’t exactly conventional.
Chase DeLauter will play 120+ games
The Guardians’ rookie sensation has played 138 games in the minor league system. Of course, when you consider the fact that he was drafted in 2022, you understand how injuries have gotten in his way.
His medical record includes multiple foot fractures, a 2025 core muscle surgery, and a 2025 right hamate bone fracture, not to mention lower-body soreness in 2026.
Here’s the catch, though: some of those are freak, fluky injuries. It’s not like his hammies are weak, or like he has a chronic shoulder or knee condition.
The Guardians are determined to take care of their prized asset, even if it means resting him once or twice a week. There is a good chance that they keep him fresh enough to play 120+ games this year. And they are going to need every at-bat they can get from him.
Guardians will make a major deadline splash for a pitcher
The Guardians are going to be better than most people think. However, the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals will also be very good.
The Guardians will reach the days before the trade deadline firmly in the fight for the division and one star pitcher away from having the personnel to fight for big things in October.
Therefore, general manager Chris Antonetti will see an opportunity to bring in an impactful arm and will package CJ Kayfus, young catcher Cooper Ingle, outfield prospect Jaison Chourio, and a lower-level player for a pitcher right before the deadline.
Which pitcher? Who knows, but there will be moves this year.
Travis Bazzana finishes in the top three of the Rookie of the Year Award voting
The 2026 campaign brings with it plenty of talented rookies in the junior circuit. Trey Yesavage, Kevin McGonigle, Kazuma Okamoto, Tatsuya Imai, Samuel Basallo, Carter Jensen, and DeLauter are some of the best.
All of them will open the year on a big league roster, unlike the Guardians’ 2024 No. 1 Draft pick, Travis Bazzana. The second base prospect will report to Triple-A Columbus to start his season, but is believed to be a candidate to be called up in May or June.
Bazzana’s impact will be so significant that he will finish the year inside the top three of the AL Rookie of the Year voting process. His defense is definitely not elite, but the bat makes up for it.
Daniel Espino comes up as a reliever to help in the stretch run
Espino has lost the better part of the last three seasons with shoulder injuries and other complications. He has an impressive spring, touching the triple digits with his fastball and posting a 0.00 ERA in a couple of frames.
The right-hander will start the year in the minors, but can easily win his way up with a strong showing in Double-A or Triple-A. With him, health is the main issue.
The Guardians will be very careful with him, and if he is in one piece by the summer, expect to see him up and handing zeroes in the seventh or eighth inning. He is that good.
Guardians will reach the AL Championship Series
The Guardians are flawed, yes, and people doubt them, but the potential of this squad is tantalizing. The offense should be much better than last year, even if there weren’t any major offseason additions, and the tools are there to put together a highly competitive pitching staff.
Once they make the postseason, they are two series wins away from another AL Championship Series appearance. I believe they have what it takes to reach that instance again after falling to the Yankees in 2024.
Cleveland will fall just short of reaching the Fall Classic, though.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Guardians’ Biggest Unknown
