The Cleveland Guardians have had a very quiet offseason when it comes to improving their roster. Yet, that silence has generated a lot of noise from outside the organization.
The Guardians made a significant move for the franchise’s long-term future when they signed Jose Ramirez to a seven-year contract extension, which should keep the All-Star third baseman with the franchise for the rest of his career. However, as far as adding established players alongside him for this season, Cleveland has been criticized by analysts and fans alike.
The Guardians were recently given an unfortunate ranking for their offseason moves, with Bleacher Report putting them last among all 30 MLB teams.
“The Jose Ramirez extension is a feather in the cap of the Cleveland front office, but they have once again been virtually non-existent players in the offseason market as far as outside additions are concerned. A reunion with backup catcher Austin Hedges and a one-year, $4 million deal for Shawn Armstrong have been the ‘marquee’ moves to this point, as they will once again rely on in-house talent to shoulder the load,” Joel Reuter wrote.
Cleveland had one of the worst offenses in the game last year, and it has added no one to improve it heading into the 2026 season. With spring training less than two weeks away, the Guardians only made moves to bolster their bullpen, which was already one of the strengths of their team.
Making this lack of activity even more noticeable is the fact that the Guardians may actually part with one of their best offensive players if trade rumors surrounding All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan become reality. So, they may have to get even more from the prospects they are adding to their lineup than they are hoping for.
Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana are each projected to make their regular-season MLB debuts as part of the Opening Day lineup. They will join two late-season call-ups from last year, C.J. Kayfus and George Valera.
Though that is a risky strategy for a team looking to win its third straight AL Central title, it does have the potential to lead to even bigger things. DeLauter showed enough to get promoted for his MLB debut in a postseason game, and he is a potential candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and after overcoming injuries, showed a great deal of promise in Triple-A.
If it does work out, it will be interesting to see where the Guardians land in various power rankings as the season moves along.
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