The Guardians got exactly what they hoped for at the trade deadline, and then some. Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell, Foster Griffin and Craig Yoho all arrived in separate deals and each one chipped in as Cleveland pushed all the way to the American League Championship Series.
For a stretch, that looked like a deadline that had strengthened the roster in just the right places. Lowe and Griffin were always the likeliest of the group to have a short shelf life in Cleveland, since both were headed toward free agency in 2027. Adell and Yoho, though, appeared to be different kinds of acquisitions - players with enough control to stick around longer and become part of the next wave.
That picture is getting hazier now, at least when it comes to Adell.
He closed the 2026 season with 94 RBI across 159 games with the Angels and Guardians, but his issues against right-handed pitching kept surfacing late in the year and into the postseason. In Cleveland, he posted a .588 OPS against righties, and that split became a real talking point as the season wore on.
This is where Adell’s situation gets tricky for the Guardians. He’s not a young player still searching for his first big break. He has five years of service time, and he’s projected to land close to $10 million in arbitration this winter.
That’s why his name is starting to come up in offseason speculation. The day after Cleveland was eliminated, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel wrote that the Guardians were going to “need to make a decision” on Adell’s future, while listing him with trade candidate Steven Kwan and free agent Austin Hedges.
MLB Trade Rumors also put Adell on the radar in its offseason preview of the Guardians, with Anthony Franco mentioning him as a possible non-tender candidate if the club decides not to offer him a contract for 2027.
That would be a pretty aggressive turn for a player Cleveland acquired only a couple months ago, but it shows how leaguewide perception is starting to shift.
If the Guardians do move on from Adell, the likeliest path would be to work out his arbitration number first and then explore a trade afterward, once the salary is clearer. Even that, though, is far from guaranteed.
Steven Kwan may end up being the piece that shapes all of it. If Cleveland trades Kwan, it could make more sense to keep Adell around, especially with an outfield opening and less money committed. But if Kwan remains on the roster when the Guardians get to Goodyear, Arizona for Spring Training, Adell could be the one on the chopping block.
In Other News...
Guardians May Regret Letting These Prospects Slip Away
The Guardians have already moved on from a few prospects who now look positioned to matter elsewhere, and the ripple effect could be felt a couple of years down the road. Juan Brito, Jacob Cozart and Josh Hartle all left Clevelands system via trade, and each has done enough in his new organization to make the next phase of his development worth watching closely. Brito got a brief look with the Reds and handled himself well in limited action, while Cozarts strong Double-A production for the Angels has put him on a path toward a possible major league debut.
Hartle has also settled in nicely with the Nationals, turning in a strong showing at Double-A and putting himself in position to become a meaningful part of Washingtons pitching picture. For Cleveland, the real sting is less about what these players are today than what they may become in 2027, when all three could be contributing in the majors for clubs that are no longer the Guardians. It is the sort of prospect drift that can look manageable in the moment and much more costly once the future arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Built Something Special With These Two Young Arms
The Guardians rotation outlook looks a lot brighter than it did not long ago, and it starts with two homegrown arms who have quickly changed the conversation. Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have both given Cleveland real reasons to believe the organization may have developed more than just depth pieces, with Williams emerging as one of the most imposing strikeout pitchers in the American League and Messick putting together a strong regular season of his own.
For a franchise that has long prided itself on pitching development, having both arms come through the system only adds to the intrigue. Williams has already shown he can handle the biggest stage, and Messick is in the mix for Rookie of the Year, which leaves Cleveland with a pair of young pitchers whose ceilings are drawing legitimate attention. The larger question now is how far the Guardians can ride that foundation, and how quickly it can turn into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Two Guardians Enter 2027 With Everything To Prove
The Guardians got back to the AL Championship Series in 2026, only to run into Tampa Bay and come up short again, which left plenty of unfinished business around a roster that still looks capable of contending. Even so, not every key piece came out of the season with the same level of momentum. Tanner Bibee still logged the most innings on the staff in the regular season, but his usage dipped in the postseason and his ERA has climbed since his debut, a reminder that Cleveland still has some sorting out to do on the mound.
Kyle Manzardo is facing a different kind of pressure. His offensive production slipped in 2026 after a stronger 2025, and with the front office having already added a first baseman in a trade, his path to holding onto a regular role is suddenly less secure. For a club trying to turn another deep October run into something more lasting, both players enter 2027 with a lot to prove, and the winter will determine how much of the Guardians future still runs through them. [Read more 🡒]