The Cleveland Guardians are still in contention for a postseason spot. They are 5.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, and they are a game and a half back in the quest for the third and last AL Wild Card spot. They could very well make the playoffs, but they are, very clearly, a flawed team.
CBS Sports, specifically Matt Snyder, took a look at some of the worst 2026 teams that could turn things around next year. At 61-66, Cleveland certainly qualifies as one of the squads on the verge of contention this year, and they could certainly take a step forward in 2027.
Snyder had a lot to say about the Guardians, which were grouped with the Baltimore Orioles, the Detroit Tigers, the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Seattle Mariners, the New York Mets, the Kansas City Royals, the Washington Nationals, the Athletics, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, the Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Angels in the entire exercise.
Cleveland was included in the “Still 2026 contenders, but …” subcategory. “Sure, these teams are contending, but let’s face it: they aren’t good teams,” Snyder said about the subcategory that also had the O’s, the Tigers, the Rangers, the Twins, the Jays, and the M’s.
About the Guardians, he said: “I’m concerned with the offense again, especially since José RamÃrez may have lost his Superman cape and Steven Kwan has regressed. There is hope for a nice move forward from the likes of Kyle Manzardo, Travis Bazzana and Angel Genao, though. We might even see new prospects like Ralphy Velazquez and Jaison Chourio sprinkled in. Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are a nice foundation for the rotation, too. The Guardians will be a factor. Again.”
Ramirez, who boasts a mediocre 104 wRC+ this season as he has had to deal with injuries, will be 34 for most of the 2027 campaign. He gave his all to the Guardians for longer than a decade, but might be entering his decline phase. The jury is still out on that, though.
However, even if his numbers dive, Cleveland has a strong core of young players, so they and Snyder think that they can compete next year. Chase DeLauter, Bazzana, Genao, Velazquez, Williams, and Messick represent a nice foundation, and if we include Chourio, we could also name Ryan Cesarini, CJ Kayfus, and several other prospects who could make an impact in 2027.
Having Ramirez return to his pre-2026 levels would push this group to the top, though. It’s certainly not impossible to think that Cleveland’s offense can be above-average next year. It certainly isn’t this season.
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