The Cleveland Guardians have never been a team to chase headlines in the offseason, and this winter was no exception. While other clubs made splashy moves or at least dipped into the free agent market for guaranteed bats, Cleveland stayed relatively quiet. They shored up the bullpen with a few reliable arms and handed out a handful of minor league deals to veteran hitters, but when it came to adding offensive firepower on major league contracts, they held their ground - or, depending on who you ask, stood still.
That approach has sparked some mixed reactions across the league. On one hand, there’s a silver lining for fans eager to see what the farm system can deliver.
By not bringing in external outfielders, the Guardians are giving top prospects like Chase DeLauter and George Valera a legitimate shot to earn everyday roles out of camp. That’s a shift in philosophy - this front office hasn’t always been quick to hand over meaningful innings to its young position players.
Now, those guys have a real runway.
But here’s the rub: Cleveland’s outfield was one of the least productive in baseball last season. They finished with the fifth-worst batting average among all outfield groups - not exactly a stat that screams "stand pat."
The need for improvement was obvious, and the Guardians chose not to address it through external means. That decision hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In his annual spring training survey, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark polled a wide range of MLB insiders - executives, coaches, and players - to get a feel for how teams are trending heading into 2026. The Guardians only came up once in the results, and it wasn’t flattering. They tied with the Minnesota Twins for the most votes in the “least improved AL team” category, each receiving 26 votes.
The Twins’ inclusion makes sense - they’ve been peeling back their roster for months amid ownership uncertainty. But the Guardians?
Their appearance on that list is all about the lack of offensive additions. As Stark put it, the respect for Cleveland’s gritty, come-from-behind division title in 2025 is still there.
But the question lingers: “Did anyone miss the fact they haven’t done anything to improve their offense?”
That surprise division title does help soften the blow. Cleveland wasn’t expected to make the postseason last year, and yet they clawed their way in.
That kind of overachievement buys a little patience - both from fans and from within the clubhouse. It’s easier to sell internal development when the team just proved it can win without big-name acquisitions.
And make no mistake, this is a calculated gamble by Cleveland’s front office. Rather than spend on mid-tier free agents - players who might block a prospect or fail to move the needle - they’re betting on their own. They’ve done it before, and more often than not, they’ve come out ahead.
Still, the skepticism from around the league is real. The Guardians didn’t get passing grades from Stark’s panel, and they’ll enter 2026 with something to prove.
But that’s nothing new for this organization. They’ve been zigging while others zag for years now.
Whether this latest bet pays off will depend on how quickly the kids grow up - and whether that quiet winter turns into a loud summer.