The Cleveland Guardians won’t be that active in the market. They might make a couple of trades and make some minor signings, but the fans shouldn’t expect a big splash.
Instead, they will make some tweaks to the lineup to find some reinforcements inside the building. And a lot of that will depend on whether Stephen Vogt gives some promising players a longer leash in 2026. According to team insider Paul Hoynes, that should be the case with Kyle Manzardo.
In his latest column, he claimed that the talented first baseman is expected to have a larger and more crucial role next season:
“This is a key guy. This is a guy, if they don’t make a move, [Kyle Manzardo’s] going to protect Ramírez and he’s got to stay in the lineup against lefties and righties,” Hoynes said.
Manzardo didn’t get many opportunities this past season. It took a long while until Vogt finally trusted him to be out there, and he was more of a matchup-based player, even at the time.
However, his play was just too good to ignore, and with Carlos Santana looking like a shell of himself at this point in his career, Vogt had no choice but to trust him. He had some huge swings last season, and he should be in for an even better 2026. Manzardo added power to his game without giving up contact, and the team has reportedly urged him to bulk up and add more muscle in the gym to be an everyday player next season.
He has the talent and the potential to be an All-Star, and it’ll be interesting to watch his development now that he’ll finally be given a chance to prove his worth.
NEXT: Guardians Get No Love In Early Power Rankings
