Insider Predicts What Guardians Will Do In Offseason

The Cleveland Guardians’ season ended two wins short of the World Series, and now the focus turns to what comes next. After falling to the Tampa Bay Rays in six games in the American League Championship Series, Cleveland enters an offseason with several veterans heading to free agency and plenty of questions about how to take the next step. ESPN’s panel of baseball writers broke down the biggest offseason issues for every team eliminated from the playoffs, and the Guardians’ section came with a blunt forecast. Bradford Doolittle believes this winter could look a lot like the ones before it, and his prediction for Cleveland’s offseason was just four words long. ‘Not much will happen.’

“Not much will happen. The Guardians have some spots that could be turned over, namely those that were held by the veterans hitting free agency. They also have ready or near-ready prospects to fill those spots. That’s good development, but at some point, it starts to feel like the Guardians are running in place — and not fast enough. Sure, they finished one step shy of a pennant, as they did in 2024, but the competitive landscape in the AL isn’t going to stay this wide open forever,” Doolittle wrote.

The list of free agents includes some important names. ESPN highlighted first baseman and designated hitter Rhys Hoskins, left hander Foster Griffin, catcher Austin Hedges and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Griffin was a revelation in October, striking out fifteen batters in 10 1/3 postseason innings after arriving at the trade deadline. Lowe delivered the go ahead hit in Game 1 of the ALCS, while Hedges has made it clear he hopes to return. Hoskins missed the postseason with a back injury after being sidelined since mid August.

Doolittle identified power as Cleveland’s biggest need. He wrote that the Guardians need a couple of hitters that opposing teams have to plan around, whether those players come from within the organization or from outside of it. He suggested a healthier José Ramírez could be part of the answer, but noted that the kind of middle-of-the-order power bat Cleveland needs has usually been beyond what the team is able or willing to spend on in free agency.

He also raised a bigger question about the offense’s identity. Doolittle compared Cleveland to smaller market contenders like Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, who both lean on contact hitting and aggressive baserunning rather than the home run. The problem, in his view, is that the Guardians fall somewhere in between. They rank 25th in baseball in home run rate over the past two seasons, but they do not produce enough runs in other ways to match what the Brewers and Rays have done.

The numbers from this season support that concern. Cleveland ranked 24th in the majors in runs per game, 26th in OPS and 27th in home runs, and it was shut out sixteen times during the regular season. In the ALCS, the Guardians scored just ten runs over the final four games, and the Rays and Brewers are now the ones meeting in the World Series.

There is still reason for optimism. Ramírez is expected to be fully healthy next year, and young players like Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana and Petey Halpin all showed growth this October. Cleveland also has first base prospects like Kyle Manzardo and Ralphy Velazquez waiting in the wings, along with a strong young rotation led by Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.

But Doolittle’s message is a clear one. If the Guardians want to finally end their 78 year championship drought, simply standing pat might not be enough.