The Cleveland Guardians reached the edge of the World Series, but the offseason conversation has already moved to a familiar place: what, exactly, will they do next?
ESPN’s panel of baseball writers tackled that question for every team that was knocked out of the playoffs, and Bradford Doolittle’s read on Cleveland was as plain as it gets. His forecast for the winter came down to four words: “Not much will happen.”
That doesn’t mean the roster stays untouched. Cleveland has a handful of veterans headed for free agency, and Doolittle pointed out that there are prospects close enough to step into some of those openings. But he also argued that the cycle can start to feel repetitive if the Guardians keep swapping in young players without adding enough impact.
“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 available veterans includes several notable names. ESPN highlighted Rhys Hoskins, Foster Griffin, Austin Hedges and Nathaniel Lowe as free agents.
Griffin was especially useful in October, piling up fifteen strikeouts over 10 1/3 postseason innings after arriving at the trade deadline. Lowe came through with the go-ahead hit in Game 1 of the ALCS, while Hedges has said he wants back.
Hoskins, meanwhile, was out of the postseason because of a back injury and had been sidelined since mid August.
Doolittle’s biggest concern centered on offense, and more specifically on power. In his view, Cleveland needs a couple of bats that force opposing clubs to game-plan differently, whether those hitters are already in the organization or come from outside it. He noted that a healthier José Ramírez could help fill that need, but also pointed out the obvious limitation: the kind of middle-of-the-order power bat the Guardians need is usually the sort of player they do not end up paying for in free agency.
He also questioned where Cleveland fits offensively compared with smaller-market teams that have made their identity clear. Doolittle mentioned Milwaukee and Tampa Bay as clubs that lean into contact and pressure on the bases instead of waiting on the long ball.
His issue with the Guardians is that they seem stuck between approaches. Over the last two seasons, Cleveland ranks 25th in baseball in home run rate, yet it still doesn’t make enough noise in other areas to mirror what the Brewers and Rays have done.
The numbers from this season underline that point. Cleveland finished 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 offense managed only ten runs across the final four games. The Rays and Brewers, meanwhile, are the teams now meeting in the World Series.
There is still a path forward if the pieces come together. Ramírez is expected to be fully healthy next year, and young players such as Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana and Petey Halpin made progress this October. The organization also has first base prospects Kyle Manzardo and Ralphy Velazquez waiting, plus a young rotation headlined by Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.
Even with all that in place, Doolittle’s warning hangs over the winter: if Cleveland is serious about snapping its 78 year championship drought, standing still probably won’t get it there.
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Steven Kwans Guardians Comments Mean More Than Fans Might Think
Steven Kwans season finished on a far better note than it began, and the broader view matters here as much as the numbers. After a rough first half, he settled in and finished with a strong 114 wRC+, reinforcing why he remains one of the more valuable everyday pieces on the roster. Along the way, he also made clear how he feels about the group around him, praising the Guardians young core and sounding genuinely energized by what the club could become.
Those comments carry extra weight because Kwan is no ordinary talking point for the front office. He is moving toward his contract year in 2027, which puts Cleveland in the familiar position of weighing whether to extend a homegrown player or eventually cash in on his value. For a team built around young, controllable talent, Kwans outlook is a reminder that the Guardians may soon have to decide whether their vision for the future includes one of their most reliable bats for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Near-Miss Put Three Roster Problems Front And Center
A familiar postseason frustration has pushed Cleveland right back into roster-building mode. After falling to Tampa Bay in six games in the American League Championship Series, the Guardians enter the winter with the same basic mandate that has shadowed them for stretches of the season: find more offense and shore up the starting rotation if they want to take the next step.
Those needs also narrow the priorities. Cleveland could use help in the outfield, with Jarren Duran among the names worth tracking, and the rotation has room for another arm such as Michael Detmers. There is also the more obvious hole at first base, where the Guardians still need a reliable everyday answer, and solving even one of those issues would go a long way toward making the lineup and staff fit together better. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough First Base Call After ALCS Run
The Guardians run ended in the American League Championship Series, and the next phase of the offseason is already starting to come into focus. Along with the usual list of contract decisions, Cleveland has a few familiar names headed toward free agency, including Nathaniel Lowe, Austin Hedges, Rhys Hoskins and Foster Griffin, while Shawn Armstrongs situation sits in the middle with a mutual option to sort through.
First base is one of the more interesting calls on the board. Cleveland has to decide whether to keep Lowe in the mix or let him walk, and the answer could shape how quickly a younger option gets a real look. Ralphy Velazquez is among the prospects the organization is weighing for future contributions, which makes this a position to watch as the Guardians try to turn an encouraging playoff finish into a more settled roster plan. [Read more 🡒]