The Cleveland Guardians’ offseason activity – or lack thereof – has been met with varying levels of disappointment and disdain. However, those critics should be more confident that the Guardians know what they’re doing, having mastered the AL Central in recent years.
The Guardians have found success fielding one of the youngest teams in baseball, relying on a bountiful farm system to fill out the lineup and pitching staff. That may be even more of the case this year.
Despite that youth, catcher Austin Hedges is sending a strong message about the 2026 Guardians, believing that their vast playoff experience will pay off during the regular season.
“It’s funny because we’re going to go into the season with maybe the youngest team in baseball again — we always do — but it’s an experienced young team,” Hedges said. “Everybody who will start on the team this year has played in playoff games last year. The majority of them played in playoff games the year before, and a good chunk of those guys played in meaningful playoff games in 2022. There are a lot of guys that are still pre-arbitration or maybe arb-1 (first year of arbitration) that have real meaningful, deep playoff experience. And once you’ve experienced that, the pressure of a regular season is a lot less.”
The Guardians ranked among the worst teams in MLB in runs scored last season, so an upgrade to the lineup was thought to be a clear priority this offseason. Instead of doing that via trade or free agency, Cleveland is putting its hopes into even more young players.
Rookies George Valera, Chase DeLauter, C.J. Kayfus, and Travis Bazzana are all expected to hold significant roles right from Opening Day. Valera and Kayfus were called up late last season, and DeLauter was added to the postseason roster, meaning all three have playoff experience earned in the AL Wild Card loss to the Detroit Tigers.
DeLauter became one of the few players in history to make his MLB debut in a postseason game, and a lot is expected of the outfielder this season. In addition, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzana would be one of the most heralded arrivals in recent franchise history as the potential starting second baseman.
The Guardians have played 20 postseason games since 2022, winning nine and recording two series victories in five. In 2024, they made it to the ALCS for the first time since reaching the 2016 World Series.
However, a championship remains elusive, and this latest young group will enter this season trying to end a drought that dates back to 1948.
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