The Cleveland Guardians got back to the top of the AL Central for a third straight season, but the road there was anything but clean. A long year exposed plenty of weak spots, and while some players delivered, others never came close to the standard the club needed.
Among the biggest letdowns were a few familiar names and some short-lived additions. Bo Naylor never gave the catching platoon the offensive boost Cleveland wanted, and he was eventually sent to the minors before being traded.
Gabriel Arias opened the year as the shortstop, got hurt, fell out of the lineup, and was let go. Juan Brito got the first shot to handle that infield opening, but that didn’t stick either, and he was traded rather than released.
Rhys Hoskins, brought in as a veteran bat, showed his best days were already behind him, failing to supply the power the Guardians hoped for before landing on the injured list. Even Jose Ramirez, the franchise cornerstone, put together his worst season in more than a decade.
Still, Bleacher Report analyst Joel Reuter pointed to first baseman Kyle Manzardo as Cleveland’s biggest disappointment in 2026.
“Biggest Disappointment: 1B Kyle Manzardo,” Reuter wrote. “Manzardo served as the primary lineup protection for Jose Ramirez during the 2025 season, posting a 111 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 70 RBIs in a breakout year offensively. That production regressed to the point that he was demoted to Triple-A this year, and the Guardians went with deadline pickup Nathaniel Lowe as their primary first baseman down the stretch while chasing a division title.”
That call makes sense given how much Cleveland expected from Manzardo after his breakout. He was supposed to bring the power that could lengthen the lineup, and the Guardians clearly banked on that growth when they passed on adding another major bat over the winter, aside from Hoskins arriving just before spring training. When Manzardo stumbled out of the gate, the hit to the offense was even worse because there wasn’t another obvious source of pop ready to fill the void.
The slump showed up early and kept dragging on. Manzardo managed only one home run in April, then entered May batting .186 with a .244 slugging percentage. By the All-Star break, he had 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a .215/.310/.359 slash line.
Cleveland’s answer at the deadline was to bring in Lowe and outfielder Jo Adell, and that move came with Manzardo’s demotion to Triple-A. He closed his third big-league season with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .684 OPS.
His long-term place with the Guardians is now unsettled, too, with top prospect Ralphy Velazquez lined up as the heir apparent at first base after .
In Other News...
Guardians Send Clear Message With Urgent Game 2 Lineup Shakeup
The Guardians came into Game 2 against the White Sox with a noticeably different look, making several lineup adjustments that suggested urgency after the opener. Patrick Bailey was behind the plate and Nathaniel Lowe handled first base, while Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell were shifted into different defensive spots as Cleveland also rearranged the batting order.
Chicago answered with changes of its own, inserting Andrew Benintendi, Sam Antonacci and Tristan Peters while moving Kyle Teel up to the No. 2 spot. With both clubs altering the mix on the fly, the second game had the feel of a quick reset, with Cleveland clearly trying to spark something early and keep the series from settling into one team's preferred rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Need Someone Else To Deliver Their Big October Moment
The Guardians had plenty of pitching in place for a familiar playoff script, but the first game of the ALDS turned on the kind of offensive drought that can make even a solid performance feel hollow. Chicagos 3-0 win was driven by Munetaka Murakamis two-run homer, while Cleveland spent the night trying to solve a parade of White Sox arms, including Anthony Kay and Sean Burke, and never found the timely hit it needed.
Clevelands players pointed to the challenge of facing multiple starters in one game, even as they leaned on the comfort of having seen this Chicago pitching staff during the regular season. The bigger issue is less about recognition than execution, because the Guardians now need someone beyond the mound work to supply the defining October swing if they want this series to tilt back their way. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Need Jo Adell To Answer After Game 1 Exposed A Problem
Jo Adells view of Game 1 was pretty simple: the White Sox made the night feel uncomfortable from the start. Chicago kept changing pitchers and angles, and Cleveland never settled in at the plate, finishing with just three hits in a 3-0 loss that left the Guardians chasing the series before it really found a rhythm.
The good news for Cleveland is that the fix sounds familiar even if the setting is tense. The Guardians know they need a sharper approach and better work with runners in scoring position in Game 2, because dropping another one would put them in a tough 2-0 hole and make every adjustment from here on out feel a little more urgent. [Read more 🡒]