The first wave of 2027 power rankings has Cleveland in a familiar spot: right in the mix.
ESPN put the Guardians at No. 8 in its initial rankings for next season, which is two spots better than where they landed in the 2026 rankings. That comes after Cleveland wrapped up a third straight AL Central title and reached the American League Championship Series, so the national read on this group is clear enough: the Guardians aren’t going anywhere.
The biggest reason for the optimism is the same thing that has carried Cleveland for much of this decade - the pitching. ESPN pointed to the Guardians’ usual shape, writing that “On paper, the Guardians might look a lot like every other Guardians team this decade: strong in pitching, lacking in offense.” That formula held up again this season, and the rotation’s durability stood out across the league.
Cleveland was the only club in baseball this year with four starters who made at least 30 starts. Tanner Bibee logged all 33 of his, Gavin Williams and Parker Messick each made 32, and Joey Cantillo got to 30.
Williams and Messick, in particular, formed one of the AL’s most effective young tandems. Williams led the league with 248 strikeouts, while Messick earned an All-Star nod as a rookie.
The offense is where the questions still live. Cleveland finished 24th in runs, 26th in OPS and 27th in home runs, and the bats went cold late in the ALCS against Tampa Bay.
ESPN sees room for growth, though, especially with Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana coming off promising rookie seasons. DeLauter led the club with a 131 OPS+ and set a franchise record for hits by a rookie in a single postseason, while Bazzana made the All-Star team and closed his rookie year with a .978 OPS in September.
Jo Adell is also part of the picture now, and ESPN noted that he’ll be in the lineup for the full season to bring more power. The same piece also flagged José Ramírez, who will be 34 next season.
A bounce back isn’t guaranteed, ESPN wrote, but the wrist injury clearly took a toll on his power in the second half. Ramírez did flash that old edge in October, homering in back-to-back elimination games against the White Sox.
There are still roster questions to sort through. Foster Griffin, Nathaniel Lowe and Austin Hedges are Cleveland’s key free agents, and each played a meaningful role in the postseason run.
On top of that, the offseason could be shaped by the collective bargaining agreement, which expires on Dec. 1.
At the top of ESPN’s list is the Brewers after their championship run. Cleveland isn’t there yet, but it’s sitting firmly in the next tier, with enough pitching and enough young offensive upside to keep the conversation going into another season.
In Other News...
Guardians May Need To Settle Three Important 2027 Role Questions
With the Guardians already thinking ahead to how their roster might look in 2027, three familiar names could be headed for very different jobs. Cooper Ingle is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, because the club may have to decide whether his best value comes as a backup catcher rather than as a bigger part of the day-to-day catching picture. It is the kind of roster sorting that often says as much about depth and versatility as it does about any one player.
Slade Cecconi and Myles Kwan are part of the same conversation for Cleveland, with each projected to be used in a way that better fits the teams needs than a simple continuation of what came before. Cecconi could wind up in the bullpen on a permanent basis, while Kwan may be best deployed in center field to maximize what he brings defensively. None of those decisions is final yet, but they are the sort of role questions the Guardians will likely need to settle as they keep shaping the roster for the seasons ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Hedges Just Gave Cleveland Fans A Reason To Worry
Austin Hedges gave Cleveland plenty to think about this past season, and not just because of what he did behind the plate. The veteran catcher turned in his best offensive year in 2026, giving the Guardians a more complete version of a player who has long been valued for his defense, game-calling and presence in the clubhouse.
Now the bigger question is whether Cleveland gets another run with him at all. Hedges is headed toward free agency after the 2026 season, with the market opening Nov. 2, and the Guardians do at least have some organizational depth at catcher in Kody Huff and Cooper Ingle. Even so, a strong season from Hedges could make him appealing to another club, which is exactly why this situation bears watching. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face Two Offseason Calls That Could Reshape The Roster
The Guardians offseason has already turned to the familiar balancing act of deciding which pieces from a deep run are worth keeping and which ones fit better as the roster keeps evolving. After the ALCS loss, Cleveland has two free agents in Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe, and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti made clear the club is still in contact with both players. It is the kind of early winter business that can quietly shape the teams next step as much as any splashier move.
Griffins case is especially interesting because his regular season with Cleveland was rocky, but he settled in when the games mattered most, giving the front office something to weigh beyond the full-season line. Lowe brings a different kind of conversation, with his results ranging more unevenly and his path clouded by competition already on the roster. Neither situation is settled yet, which is why these are more than routine free-agent notes for a team trying to build on a postseason that fell just short. [Read more 🡒]