The Cleveland Guardians, reigning AL Central champions, are firm contenders to make the postseason. Whether they have enough firepower to win the World Series will hinge on the development of their young prospects and the impactful players they might add ahead of the deadline, but they should be good enough to fight for a place in the playoffs.
Still, that doesn’t take away the fact that they didn’t really do much in the offseason, at least in the additions department. Yes, they extended franchise legend Jose Ramirez and are trusting some key young players to contribute, but their winter was generally seen as a disappointment.
SleeperMLB is ranking all teams ahead of Opening Day, and the Guardians appear in the 17th spot. Whether that’s fair or not remains up for debate, but the Guardians’ winter was unquestionably slow.
“This offseason was BRUTAL. Nobody expected Cleveland to spend any money this winter and that is exactly what happened. If this team was in any other division, their ranking would be much much worse – but that’s the fun/misery of the AL Central,” they wrote.
17 days until Opening Day!
Our 17th ranked team heading into the season is the Cleveland Guardians
Notable additions:
– extended José Ramírez
– 🤷Biggest losses:
– Lane Thomas
– Sam Hentges
– Jakob Junis
– Big Christmas (honorable mention)Prospect to watch:
– Chase… https://t.co/FPZo36zsrC pic.twitter.com/fHtyCAVHGD— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) March 9, 2026
Cleveland, per MLB Trade Rumors, spent a meager $11.9 million in free agency on four players: Shawn Armstrong, Austin Hedges, Connor Brogdon, and Colin Holderman. They didn’t really have any major losses, though, and that’s also important to point out.
Cheap minor league signings include Rhys Hoskins, Kolby Allard, Ben Lively, Pedro Avila, Carter Kieboom, Stuart Fairchild, Dom Nunez, and Codi Heuer.
Now, the fact that the Guardians had a very slow offseason doesn’t mean they can’t compete. In fact, you could argue that they refrained from making relevant offensive additions because they want to give their young guys a chance to establish themselves.
For example, bringing in an expensive outfielder could have blocked George Valera, Chase DeLauter, and CJ Kayfus. Spending money or prospect capital on a second baseman would have put another obstacle in Travis Bazzana’s path towards stardom.
For better or worse, this is how the Guardians operate, and they feel some of these guys are due for a breakout. If some of them take a step forward, Cleveland might just have what it takes to make that 17th ranking look silly.
NEXT: Guardians Could Have 2 Lockdown Lefties In Bullpen
