The Cleveland Guardians are entering this offseason the same way they entered the last one, looking to add power to their lineup. Even though Jo Adell is on the roster this time around, the Guardians could still use another big bat or two.
This season, Cleveland finished 27th in the majors in home runs and 26th in OPS. Though those numbers got better after Adell arrived at the trade deadline, the Guardians need to improve even more.
That is why two FOX Sports analysts have named “Power” as the Guardians’ biggest offseason need.
“Biggest Need: Power,” Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar wrote. “The Guardians, largely, were relying on their young hitters to fix their powerless lineup in 2026, and while there are obvious reasons to get excited about rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter and fellow rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana, the emergence of those two wasn’t enough — especially with franchise cornerstone Jose Ramirez not having a typical Ramirez season at third.”
DeLauter and Bazzana did have very good rookie campaigns, but they combined for just 31 home runs in more than 900 at-bats. This season, from the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots in the batting order, Cleveland hit 65 home runs in more than 2,100 plate appearances.
Angel Martinez led the Guardians with 18 home runs, followed by DeLauter with 16, and Brayan Rocchio and Bazzana with 15 each. First baseman Kyle Manzardo was being counted on to supply some power after hitting 27 homers in 2025, but he managed just 13 before being demoted to the minors.
Most glaring of all was Ramirez’s decline. After back-to-back 30-homer seasons, including a career-high 39 in 2024, the 33-year-old managed just 12 this season. Hamate bone surgery in June certainly contributed to the drop-off, as he had just two following his return.
Cleveland has not shown a willingness to compete for high-priced players on the free agent market, so that may leave it out of the running for options such as Seiya Suzuki, Teruaki Sato and Jake Bauers. The Guardians could explore trades and have been linked to infielder CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals and outfielder Jared Duran of the Boston Red Sox.
The best hope for the Guardians may remain improvement from within. In addition to hopefully having Adell, who is arbitration-eligible, for a full season, Cleveland could promote first base prospect Ralphy Velazquez after he hit 29 home runs in 121 minor league games this season.
So, as the MLB labor negotiations continue, this promises to be a very important offseason for the Guardians as they look to remain perennial playoff participants.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Minor League Signing
