Rhys Hoskins gave the Guardians what they needed in spring training: a fight.
Signed to a minor league deal after the Milwaukee Brewers turned down their $18 million mutual option on him, Hoskins arrived in Cleveland in late February with something to prove. He had to earn his spot, and he did, breaking camp with the club and logging 95 games in a Guardians uniform.
The production, though, never quite matched the opportunity. Hoskins finished with 317 plate appearances and hit .179/.306/.376, adding 13 home runs but posting a career-worst 94 wRC+. It was not a total miss, but it also wasn’t the kind of impact Cleveland was hoping for when it brought him in.
Now he’s on the free-agent market again, but unlike some of Cleveland’s other unsigned names - including Austin Hedges and Shawn Armstrong - Hoskins looks like a long shot to return. The word from inside the evaluation is blunt: his chances are close to zero.
That’s because the Guardians are already looking elsewhere. Their first-base picture is crowded with younger, cheaper options, and the front office appears ready to keep moving in that direction.
As Noga wrote, “With Manzardo and Velazquez among the club’s first base options and other younger hitters competing for designated hitter opportunities, there simply isn’t a compelling reason to bring Hoskins back. Even on another one-year contract, Cleveland would be better served giving those at-bats to players who could become part of its long-term future.”
Ralphy Velazquez is being discussed as the first baseman of the future, and the numbers behind his rise are loud: 29 home runs and a 142 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A this year. Kyle Manzardo remains in the mix too, and he’s still under contract after hitting 27 home runs in 2025 before struggling some in 2026.
There’s also a path where Manzardo gets the first look at first base next season if Cleveland chooses to delay Velazquez’s arrival for service-time reasons early on. CJ Kayfus can play the position as well, giving the Guardians even more flexibility.
Hoskins does bring one thing the younger group doesn’t: a right-handed bat. Manzardo, Velazquez and Kayfus all hit left-handed, so the fit isn’t meaningless. But that edge probably isn’t enough to change the outlook here.
Cleveland seems committed to turning the page at first base and at designated hitter, which leaves Hoskins - and likely Nathaniel Lowe, too - on the outside looking in.
In Other News...
Astros Just Poached A Guardians Hitting Mind Fans Should Notice
The Astros have added another familiar name from Clevelands player-development pipeline, hiring Conner Watson as their new director of hitting. Watson spent the past two seasons as the Guardians assistant director of hitting development, a role that put him in the middle of one of baseballs more closely watched organizational systems for turning raw tools into big league production.
For Cleveland, it is another reminder that its development staff remains a target for clubs looking to sharpen their own infrastructure. Houstons front office has been active on that front, bringing in Watson after recently naming Spencer Medick as director of pitching, and it is doing so while the Astros are still trying to fill both their general manager and manager openings. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Keep Stockpiling Pitching With Another Intriguing Young Arm
The Guardians have added another arm to their growing international pipeline, officially signing 17-year-old left-hander Nerio Reyes out of Venezuela. Reyes trained at CJB Academy in Maracaibo, and his arrival fits neatly with Clevelands long-running habit of betting on young pitchers with upside and room to develop.
Reyes is expected to make his professional debut in the 2027 season in the Dominican Summer League, giving the organization time to let him grow into his body and his craft. For a club that has steadily leaned into finding and shaping pitching talent from Venezuela, this is another reminder that the Guardians are still building the same way, one young arm at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough Call On Five Key Free Agents
The offseason in Cleveland is already starting to take shape around a familiar question: who, if anyone, should the Guardians bring back from a group of five pending free agents? The list includes catcher Austin Hedges, first basemen Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins, and pitchers Foster Griffin and Shawn Armstrong, giving the front office a mix of depth pieces and veterans to sort through as the roster continues to evolve after the trade deadline and a series of recent moves.
Insider Joe Nogas read is that Hedges may be the only realistic candidate to return, and even that would likely require a reduced salary. The others face longer odds for a mix of reasons, from performance to injury history to the amount of depth already on hand, and all of it comes with labor talks still hanging over the broader baseball landscape. For a club that has spent plenty of time retooling on the fly, the next round of decisions could tell a lot about how aggressive the Guardians want to be this winter. [Read more 🡒]