The Cleveland Guardians had one of the worst offenses in baseball last season and haven’t done much of anything this offseason to improve it. The pitching staff was strong, but not quite as good as it was in 2024, yet the team somehow found a way to repeat as AL Central champs and will look to do it again in 2026.
One of the quieter issues last season was the defense, which was solid yet ranked third in the league with 99 errors. It’s hard to believe the Guardians found a way to make the postseason when looking at the wide-angle view of the 2025 team, but there are projections that show that the defense should be much-improved in 2026.
MLB.com’s Mike Petriello recently wrote an article about which teams are projected to have the best defenses in 2026. He included the Guardians in his assessments, saying there are a number of plus defenders who should lead the team to an overall strong year on that side of the ball.
“As for the Guardians, they were good last year, and should be again. You know the names; Steven Kwan and José Ramírez are always strong, Austin Hedges is entirely defense first, and Daniel Schneemann provided solid fielding at multiple spots. Like Arizona, there’s not an obvious problem spot here, though it’s somewhat harder to project because there are just so, so many moving pieces that could find playing time in more than half the lineup spots,” Petriello wrote.
Kwan, Ramirez, and Hedges are some of the best in the league at their positions, though it would be ideal for the greater good if Bo Naylor can continue improving at catcher and limit Hedges’ playing time, ensuring he doesn’t see too many at-bats since he is arguably the worst hitter in baseball. The question marks are in the outfield, where youngsters like Chase DeLauter, C.J. Kayfus, and George Valera are sure to see a lot of playing time and could be a major reason why this defense becomes one of the league’s best.
Schneeman was excellent at second base and creates one of the league’s most reliable middle infield duos on defense alongside Gabriel Arias, but Brayan Rocchio will factor into the equation, as could No. 1 prospect Travis Bazzana, who still projects as the long-term solution at second base. For a team that is going to rely heavily on pitching once again, having the best defense possible is imperative.
There are still moving parts, but there is enough talent on this team to make up an outstanding defense. This should be the least of fans’ concerns going forward, though hopefully the Guardians can clean up some of those errors.
NEXT: Stats Show How Young Guardians Pitcher Broke Out In 2025
