The Cleveland Guardians spent years searching for a right-handed power bat, and they finally found one at the trade deadline. Now they have to decide how much they are willing to pay to keep him. Jo Adell is heading into his final year of arbitration, and many project his salary at about $9.6 million for 2027. That is a big number for an organization that reached the American League Championship Series with a payroll of roughly $75 million, and some have suggested the Guardians could trade Adell or even non-tender him to save money. Paul Hoynes made it clear where he stands on how the Guardians should handle Adell. He believes they should pay him.
“They finally get a right-handed power hitter, and now you’re going to non-tender them or trade them. I think they bite the bullet on [Jo Adell]. They have to pay this guy and keep him in the lineup for one more year. This is a guy that they need. This is a legitimate 25-to-30 home run guy, 90-to-100 RBI guy. You’ve been searching all over for this guy. This is the guy you’ve got to sign,” Hoynes said.
Adell is a legitimate threat to hit 25 to 30 home runs and drive in 90 to 100 runs, which is exactly the kind of player Cleveland has been chasing for a long time.
Adell finished the 2026 season with 23 home runs and 94 RBIs between the Angels and Guardians, a year after hitting 37 home runs for Los Angeles. After coming to Cleveland on Aug. 3, he hit seven homers with a .741 OPS in 48 games and became the team’s best weapon against left-handed pitching, slugging .660 against southpaws.
That last part matters a lot for this roster. Cleveland’s lineup leans heavily on left-handed and switch hitters, and opposing managers tried to take advantage of that in October. Without Adell, the Guardians would have very little right-handed thunder in the middle of the order.
He also delivered some of the biggest hits of the postseason. Adell tripled twice in the division series against the White Sox, including a bases clearing triple in Game 3 with Cleveland facing elimination, joining Kenny Lofton as the only players in franchise history with multiple triples in a single postseason series. He capped a six-run inning with a two-run single in Game 4 and added a two-run double in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the ALCS. His October was not perfect, as he struck out four times in Game 1 of the division series and came up empty in a few big spots against the Rays, but his power changed the look of the lineup.
Still, the decision will not happen in a vacuum. Steven Kwan is also in his final year of arbitration and projected to earn more than $11 million. With a possible lockout looming after the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, the Guardians will have to weigh every dollar carefully.
After finally finding the right-handed power bat they needed, the Guardians may not want to start that search all over again.
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