The Guardians have no reason to sit still after reaching the ALCS, even if the calendar says the 2026 season just wrapped and the winter is about to get strange. With a lockout looming and no clear finish line attached to it, the offseason is shaping up to be anything but normal. Still, Cleveland should be ready to make some tweaks, because the Opening Day version of this club is going to look different from the one that took the field at Tropicana Field in the ALCS.
The biggest swing would be left-hander Adrian Morejon. He’s coming off a 2026 season that included a 2.83 ERA, three saves and 107 strikeouts in 86 innings, and he’s widely viewed as one of the premier names available, behind only Tarik Skubal.
Morejon is expected to land a pricey deal somewhere, likely to become a team’s closer of the future. Cleveland wouldn’t need him for that exact role, though.
Pairing him with Cade Smith at the back of the bullpen would give the Guardians a lethal late-game duo.
That said, the real conversation in Cleveland is less about chasing a headline and more about tightening up a bullpen that has already come up short in the postseason three straight times. The Guardians still have one of baseball’s best relief groups, but the October results have made it impossible to ignore the need for at least one more impact arm. Even if Morejon proves too rich for their taste, the bullpen should be the priority.
A more workable target is Romero. He put together a solid season between the Cardinals and Brewers and still has a chance to win the World Series.
His numbers have dipped from 2025, when he posted a 2.07 ERA while closing for St. Louis, but he’s been excellent since landing in Milwaukee and even better in the postseason.
For the Guardians, that’s the sweet spot: another high-leverage reliever who can help without forcing them to stretch the budget or step on Smith’s closer job.
If Cleveland were to land Romero, the bullpen mix would take on a nice shape. Instead of replacing Gaddis with another arm that doesn’t quite change the equation, Romero would help form a more balanced top four with Smith and Daniel Espino on the right side and Erik Sabrowski plus Romero from the left.
The move Cleveland should avoid is going after Goldschmidt. Last winter’s bargain-bin bet on Rhys Hoskins backfired badly; the Guardians signed him to a $1.5 million deal, and it turned into a disaster before a season-ending back injury shut him down.
Goldschmidt is another name that could tempt them into that same lane. He played last year on a one-year, $4 million contract and has said he wants to play again in 2027, likely at roughly the same price point.
He would make sense for a team that needs a veteran finishing piece. Cleveland is not that team.
The Guardians already have veteran presence in the room, and they addressed first base once already by trading for Nathaniel Lowe. The better play is to let Kyle Manzardo have the job and see what happens.
In Other News...
Guardians May Need A Painful Trade To Become A Real Threat
After pushing all the way to the American League Championship Series, the Guardians are heading into the offseason with a familiar question in front of them: how do they turn a strong young core into a roster that can survive the best teams in October? One path runs through the trade market, where Cleveland could look to add real impact rather than just depth, and the Los Angeles Angels loom as a possible match with infielder Zach Neto and pitcher Reid Detmers both drawing attention.
Neto would give the Guardians a versatile infield piece with upside, while Detmers offers the kind of arm that could deepen the rotation and change the shape of the staff. The problem is cost, and that is where things get complicated for a front office that has to weigh short-term gain against long-term control. A deal of that size could force Cleveland to put real prospect value on the table, with names like Ralphy Velazquez and Cooper Ingle among the kinds of assets that could come up in talks. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Depth Just Got Murkier Heading Into Next Season
Clevelands bullpen picture for next season already had plenty of moving parts, and now two more names are back on the open market. Connor Brogdon and Carlos Hernandez have elected free agency after each was designated for assignment and spent time in the minors, leaving the Guardians with a little less certainty as they sort through relief options for the winter.
Brogdon logged 16 innings for Cleveland with a 5.06 ERA, while Hernandez worked three innings and posted a 6.00 ERA. Neither stint changed the broader conversation much, but both remain the kind of depth arms teams often keep in the pipeline, and there is still a chance the Guardians could bring one or both back on minor league deals depending on how the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians ALCS Exit Exposed A Problem Cleveland Cant Ignore
The Guardians ALCS loss to the Tampa Bay Rays left the same uncomfortable truth hanging over their winter plans: the offense simply did not do enough when the stage got bigger. Cleveland had trouble scoring consistently throughout the series, and the final three games underscored how quickly the lineup could stall when pressure mounted.
Several hitters finished the matchup with low averages, a reminder that the margin for error was thin once the pitching matchups tightened. If Cleveland wants to turn that October trip into something more lasting, the front office is staring at a clear to-do list that goes beyond one area, with the club expected to look for more help in the lineup, the bullpen and the rotation. [Read more 🡒]