Insider Reveals What Guardians Must Improve In 2026

Another year, another disappointing performance from the Cleveland Guardians’ offense. That’s one way to look at the situation. Another one, however, would be acknowledging that the unit is actually far more talented than past versions and that better days might be coming.

Despite the unit ranking 19th in wRC+ with 96, the 2026 campaign has witnessed the emergence of Chase DeLauter as a lineup anchor, as well as the improvement of Brayan Rocchio, Daniel Schneemann, and Angel Martinez.

The problem, for Cleveland, is that guys who used to be extremely productive in years past have been unable to replicate that success at the plate. Tim Stebbins, who covers the team for MLB.com, wrote about it when discussing things to improve for every team for the rest of the season.

“Lineup anchors getting going,” Stebbins wrote. “The Guardians entered Sunday ranked 24th in the Majors in runs per game (4.12). It’s an improvement upon 2025 (3.97) while lineup anchors such as Steven Kwan (.587 OPS), Kyle Manzardo (.562) and José Ramírez (.748) have had varying starts to the season at the plate. That trio settling in further could take the offense to another level, given the encouraging production of returning and up-and-coming players such as Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio, Daniel Schneemann, Travis Bazzana, and Angel Martínez.”

There you have it. Those three players in particular, Ramirez, Manzardo, and Kwan, are capable of much, much more than what they are doing at the moment.

Ramirez, a career 129 wRC+ hitter, is at 110 this year as of Monday afternoon. He does have six homers and 16 stolen bases, but the Guardians need him to return to his best.

Manzardo hit 27 homers last year. In 2026, he has just two, with a 65 wRC+ that contrasts with 2025’s 113 mark. He has made some strides in recent games, but still not enough.

Kwan is perhaps the most worrisome case among the Guardians’ struggling players. His struggles date back to last year, and this season, he is hitting just .208 with a 67 wRC+. He has been busy learning to play center field, yes, but his offensive output has been extremely disappointing nonetheless.

If these three players can experience at least a moderate rebound, Cleveland’s offense could really take off. The potential is there, and certainly so is the track record, but fans want to see results.