The Cleveland Guardians made it all the way to a third straight AL Central title and Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on the strength of their pitching, but the same problem kept hanging over the roster. The offense just did not do enough.
That’s the backdrop for the start of free agency, and ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle narrowed Cleveland’s biggest need down to a single word: “Power.”
“Power. Whether it’s development from within or acquisition from without, this team needs a couple of hitters whom opposing teams must game-plan around. Maybe one of those players can be the healthier version of Jose Ramirez, but this lineup badly needs that middle-of-the-order power threat which on the open market has always existed beyond the Guardians’ means/willingness to spend,” Doolittle wrote.
The case is easy to make from the numbers. Cleveland finished 24th in the majors in runs scored, 26th in OPS and 27th in home runs. Over the final five games against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Guardians managed just eleven runs.
Even the individual power totals underscored the issue. No player who began the 2026 season with Cleveland reached 20 home runs.
Angel Martínez led the group with 18, followed by Chase DeLauter with 16, while Brayan Rocchio and Travis Bazzana each had 15. José Ramírez, limited by hand surgery, finished with 12.
Jo Adell ended up with 23 homers between the Angels and Guardians, but only seven came after he joined Cleveland in August.
Doolittle also put the Guardians in a broader offensive context, comparing them to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Rays - clubs that have leaned on contact, speed and other ways of generating offense. Cleveland shares some of that identity, but not enough of the production that makes those teams work. The Guardians don’t score enough runs the Brewers or Rays do, and they also don’t hit enough home runs to be a true power lineup.
There is some reinforcements on the way. Top prospect Ralphy Velazquez hit 29 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this season, and Welbyn Francisca has stood out as one of the best hitters in the Arizona Fall League. But neither is a lock for 2027, and both swing from the left side.
The Guardians are not staring at a full teardown. The pitching is still there, and the young core is still there.
What they need now is one or two bats that change the shape of the lineup. For Cleveland, the offseason question is simple: can it find power?
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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 🡒]