The beginning of the new MLB season is the perfect time to make some projections for what the year could bring. With that in mind, here are three bold Cleveland Guardians predictions for 2026. 

Gavin Williams wasn’t just one of the Guardians’ top pitchers during the second half of 2025, but he was one of the best pitchers in baseball after the All-Star break. 

Over Williams’ final 12 starts from last season, he had a 2.18 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. It also looked like the right-hander figured out some of his walk issues, too. Take Spring Training stats with a grain of salt, but Williams’ command was solid during Cactus League action, too, striking out 19 batters, issuing just two walks.

It’s easy to forget that 2025 was truly Williams’ first full big league season; he was called up midway through 2023 and missed time in 2024 with an elbow injury. 

By all indications, it looks like Williams is still getting better, and the next evolution of his development could be becoming a Cy Young candidate.

The Chase DeLauter era with the Guardians is finally here. After debuting during the playoffs in 2025, the former first-round pick is on the Opening Day roster and will seemingly get plenty of opportunities to show why the organization is so high on him. 

There’s no question about whether DeLauter has the talent to be a star at the big-league level, and that talent could easily earn him American League Rookie of the Year. DeLauter had a Minor League career OPS of .888 and is fresh from Spring Training, where he hit four doubles and three home runs in 37 at-bats. Not to mention, one of his ground ball base hits was the hardest hit ball by a Guardian this spring. 

The contingency with all of this, though, is DeLauter’s health. It’s no secret that staying on the field has been an issue for the 24-year-old.

If DeLauter does stay healthy and plays 100+ games this year, he could very well win Rookie of the Year in the American League. 

Saying that the Guardians are going to win the American League Central in 2026 might not feel like a bold prediction considering they’ve won the division three of the last four years.

However, the projection models aren’t high on Cleveland’s chances of a three-peat. In fact, FanGraphs is predicting the Guardians to finish fourth in the division and gives the reigning champs only a 12.6 percent chance of winning it again this season.

Cleveland certainly has some unknowns with their roster, but if the young players help the lineup improve, the rotation is even half as good as it was last September, and the back of the bullpen remains strong, there’s no reason to think the Guardians can’t be the best team in the division. 

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