When first baseman Rhys Hoskins came to the Cleveland Guardians in late February after the Milwaukee Brewers declined their $18 million mutual option on him, he had a chip on his shoulder. He signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training and had to win his roster spot in Cleveland.
He did, and went on to play 95 games with the Guardians, racking up 317 plate appearances and hitting .179/.306/.376 with 13 home runs and a career-worst 94 wRC+. He was far from a disaster, but failed to give Cleveland the kind of impact they wanted from him.
Hoskins is now one of the Guardians’ free agents heading into the offseason. Unlike other names such as Austin Hedges and Shawn Armstrong, however, his chances of returning to Cleveland are close to zero.
Hoskins defended the Guardians’ uniform with pride and dignity, but the organization is simply ready to move on with younger, cheaper, and better players at his position.
“With Manzardo and Velazquez among the club’s first base options and other younger hitters competing for designated hitter opportunities, there simply isn’t a compelling reason to bring Hoskins back. Even on another one-year contract, Cleveland would be better served giving those at-bats to players who could become part of its long-term future,” Noga wrote.
People say that Ralphy Velazquez, who hit 29 home runs with a 142 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A this year, is the Guardians’ first baseman of the future. And they are right. However, some forget that Kyle Manzardo, who hit 27 home runs in 2025 but struggled a bit in 2026, remains under contract, too.
In fact, Manzardo might get the first crack at the cold corner next year if the Guardians decide to play the service time game with Velazquez for a few weeks. On top of that, CJ Kayfus can also play first base.
Hoskins is a right-handed hitter, and all the aforementioned young players are lefties. That counts for something, sure, but it likely won’t result in him getting a contract offer from the Guardians at this point.
The Guardians are ready to move on with younger alternatives at both first base and the DH spot, making Hoskins, and probably Nathaniel Lowe too, expendable.
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