The Guardians’ offseason begins with a familiar mix of certainty and questions.
After winning the American League Central for a third straight year and getting all the way to the doorstep of the World Series in 2026 before a six-game ALCS loss to the Rays, Cleveland’s front office met with the media Thursday to talk through what comes next. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and assistant GM Matt Forman all took part in the wrap-up, and the biggest message on Steven Kwan was clear: the Guardians expect him back.
“As we sit here today, we’re expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year,” Antonetti said (link via Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com).
That matters because Kwan is entering his final year of team control and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make $11.3MM in arbitration. For a player of Kwan’s caliber, that’s a fair number.
For a club that carried the lowest payroll in baseball at around $75MM, it’s not exactly trivial either. Cleveland has also shown a willingness to move productive veterans as control gets short, with past deals sending out Josh Naylor, Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger.
Even so, the tone from the Guardians made it sound like Kwan is staying put.
Antonetti praised Kwan’s leadership and the way he bounced back from a rough beginning. And it was a real split-season story.
By July, the lefty contact hitter was sitting on a tepid .212/.318/.257 line with just one homer, looking like a possible non-tender candidate. From there, he caught fire and finished at .282/.382/.349 with a career-best 13.3% walk rate.
He walked 3.3% more often than his career norm, struck out only 9.7% of the time and posted a 1.37 BB/K ratio that led all qualified hitters. Even with only three home runs and a .067 ISO, he still produced a solid 114 wRC+.
His glove kept carrying real weight, too. Kwan, a four-time Gold Glove winner and 2026 finalist, piled up 17 Defensive Runs Saved, 8 Outs Above Average and 7 Fielding Run Value across center and left field. The complete package was worth 5.3 bWAR and 3.8 fWAR, and he has not finished below 3.0 in either category in any of his five big-league seasons.
The Guardians appear likely to have Kwan in the Opening Day picture again in 2027, but first base may look very different. Rhys Hoskins got the job to open 2026 after signing a minor league deal last winter, and Nathaniel Lowe arrived from the Reds at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Neither solved the position. Hoskins is headed back to free agency after the worst season of his career, and Lowe is also set to hit the market.
Kyle Manzardo is still not arbitration-eligible, but the former top prospect hasn’t provided much value since debuting in 2024.
As a group, Hoskins, Lowe and Manzardo combined for minus-0.4 fWAR, the third-worst total among first base units in the majors. Their 92 wRC+ was fourth from the bottom. Cleveland clearly needs more from the spot in 2027, and Antonetti made it “abundantly clear” that Ralphy Velazquez will get a chance to force his way into the picture, according to Joe Noga of cleveland.com.
“Ralphy’s made himself an option for us to consider next year,” Antonetti said. “He put together really an extraordinary year.”
Velazquez, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 29 prospect in baseball, has handled minor league pitching well since Cleveland took him 23rd overall in 2023. The 21-year-old reached Triple-A Columbus in mid-May this season and delivered a .278/.363/.541 line with 22 home runs and a 20.6% strikeout rate over 85 games and 369 plate appearances. He could be part of the answer at first base as soon as next year, though the Guardians also want him to keep getting reps in the outfield.
On the mound, the rotation picture is a little more settled. Gavin Williams, Parker Messick and Tanner Bibee are locked in for spots next season, even with Bibee not seeing postseason action.
Joey Cantillo will also enter spring training as a starter, according to Hoynes, after turning in a 3.62 ERA over 33 appearances, 30 of them starts, and 159 innings. His 11.8% walk rate was high, but the underlying results were still decent.
Daniel Espino remains more of a puzzle. The right-hander made his major league debut in mid-June after missing almost all of 2022 through 2025 because of knee and shoulder injuries, and he never pitched more than two innings in any of his 20 combined regular-season and playoff appearances. Still, his power arm gives Cleveland something to weigh for next year’s rotation.
“There’s no clear answer,” Chernoff said regarding Espino’s role. “That’s the conversation we need to have internally with our group and with Daniel.”
Foster Griffin is the only rotation arm set to reach free agency. The left-hander, acquired from Washington at the deadline, is guaranteed to beat the $5.5MM he signed for last winter. Beyond that, Cleveland could consider internal options such as Slade Cecconi, Austin Peterson and Yorman Gomez, or look to the trade market.
In Other News...
Guardians Bullpen Depth Just Took A Hit Fans Should Notice
Carlos Hernndez and Connor Brogdon are both back on the open market after electing free agency following their 2026 seasons with the Guardians. Each spent time moving between the big league roster and the clubs minor league affiliates, giving Cleveland some organizational flexibility without ever becoming central pieces of the bullpen plan.
For a team that always has to think a step ahead with its relief corps, losing two depth arms at once is the kind of small offseason wrinkle worth watching. The Guardians could still circle back and try to bring either pitcher back later in the winter, but for now the bullpen depth chart has a little less certainty than it did a day ago. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Already Have Tough Calls Waiting In Free Agency
Even with the season still unfolding, the Guardians already have a few roster questions lining up for the winter. Several players on the 40-man roster are set to hit free agency after the year, giving the front office another round of decisions to weigh as it looks ahead to 2026 and beyond. Among the names in that group are Foster Griffin, Austin Hedges, Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins, a mix that touches both depth and more established production.
Each brings a different case to the table, which is what makes the conversation tricky. Cleveland will have to sort through recent performance, roster fit and whether any of those players make sense to bring back or let walk, and those calls could shape the makeup of the club well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Offseason Pitching Plan Is Starting To Come Into Focus
After another deep October run ended in AL Championship Series elimination, the Guardians are already turning the page toward the pitching market, and the early outline of their winter plan is becoming clearer. Cleveland is looking at free-agent arms who could help balance a staff that needs more options, especially on the left side, with the kind of versatility and late-inning reliability that can matter over a long season.
Two names stand out in that conversation: JoJo Romero and Kris Bubic. Romero brings the profile of a left-handed reliever whose recent postseason work only boosts his appeal, while Bubic offers a different kind of fit with experience both starting and pitching out of the bullpen, even if health questions are part of the evaluation. For the Guardians, the challenge now is deciding which type of help best matches the roster they want to build for another run. [Read more 🡒]