The Cleveland Guardians were able to win the AL Central for a third straight year, and as with any long baseball season, they had to overcome some obstacles to get there. While there were undoubtedly many bright spots, other players did not live up to expectations.
Bo Naylor failed to bring offensive improvement to the catching platoon, and he was demoted to the minors before eventually getting traded. Opening Day shortstop Gabriel Arias was injured, lost his spot in the lineup, and was let go. Prospect Juan Brito was given the first chance to fill that opening on the infield, but he did not work out and was traded instead of being released.
Veteran acquisition Rhys Hoskins showed his best days were long behind him as he did not provide the power the Guardians were looking for and wound up on the injured list. Even franchise stalwart Jose Ramirez had his worst season in more than a decade.
Yet, Bleacher Report analyst Joel Reuter has named first baseman Kyle Manzardo as the Guardians’ biggest disappointment in 2026.
“Biggest Disappointment: 1B Kyle Manzardo,” Reuter wrote. “Manzardo served as the primary lineup protection for Jose Ramirez during the 2025 season, posting a 111 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 70 RBIs in a breakout year offensively. That production regressed to the point that he was demoted to Triple-A this year, and the Guardians went with deadline pickup Nathaniel Lowe as their primary first baseman down the stretch while chasing a division title.”
Coming off his breakout season last year, Manzardo was being counted on to supply the power to the Guardians’ batting order, which was a reason they didn’t look to acquire another big bat in the offseason, other than adding Hoskins right before spring training. When Manzardo got off to a very slow start, and Cleveland’s offense struggled, his failure was doubly hurtful because there was no one else to pick up that slack.
Manzardo hit just one home run in April, and he entered May with a .186 batting average and .244 slugging percentage. At the All-Star break, he had 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a slash line of .215/.310/.359.
That is why the Guardians added Lowe and outfielder Jo Adell at the trade deadline, which is when Manzardo was demoted to Triple-A. He finished his third big-league season with 13 homers, 39 RBIs, and a .684 OPS.
Now, Manzardo’s future with the Guardians is in doubt as well, with top prospect Ralphy Velazquez the heir apparent at first base after a dominant minor league campaign.
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