Can the Guardians repeat their historic comeback and push deeper into October with Jose Ramirez's new deal and emerging pitching?
The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central last September in what the Elias Sports Bureau described as the largest in-season deficit overcome to finish first in a division in baseball history. They were 15.5 games behind Detroit in early July. They went 20-7 in September. Brayan Rocchio hit a walk-off three-run homer in extra innings on the final day of the regular season to clinch it. Then they lost to the Tigers in the Wild Card Series.
That combination of triumph and frustration is a reasonable summary of the Cleveland experience over the last decade. They keep winning the division. They keep getting eliminated early. The question entering 2026 is whether the Jose Ramirez extension and the next wave of pitching behind Gavin Williams can push them deeper into October.
Projected Opening Day Lineup
1. Steven Kwan, CF
2. Chase DeLauter, RF
3. Jose Ramirez, 3B
4. Kyle Manzardo, DH
5. George Valera, LF
6. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
7. Bo Naylor, C
8. Gabriel Arias, SS
9. Brayan Rocchio, 2B
Valera opens on the injured list with a left calf strain. DeLauter's workload will be managed early, with a limit of three field starts per week initially. Kwan slides to center for the first time in his career to accommodate DeLauter in right. The rotation opens with Tanner Bibee making his first career Opening Day start, followed by Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick.
Jose Ramirez
Ramirez signed a four-year, $106 million extension on Jan. 24, stacked on top of his existing three years and $69 million still remaining. The total commitment runs through 2032 at seven years and $175 million — the largest contract in franchise history. The deal includes $70 million in deferred money paid out starting in 2036 and a full no-trade clause.
His 2025 numbers: .283 average, .863 OPS, 30 home runs, 85 RBI, 44 stolen bases (a career high), 103 runs scored and 78 extra-base hits. He finished third in AL MVP voting, won his sixth Silver Slugger and made his seventh All-Star team. He became the first Cleveland player with 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases. He is 33 years old going into the season and shows no signs of decline — the stolen base total went up, not down.
He needs 15 home runs to join the 300-300 club, which only eight players in MLB history have reached. If the contract runs to completion, he would be among a small group of players to spend 20 or more seasons with a single organization.
The Pitching Staff
Gavin Williams broke out in 2025 with a 3.06 ERA, 173 strikeouts and 167 and two-thirds innings. His second half was exceptional: 7-1, 2.18 ERA, .188 opponent average, 1.05 WHIP after he and pitching coach Carl Willis adjusted his hand position in mid-June. The walk rate — he led MLB with 83 walks — is still the thing to watch. In spring 2026 he issued just one walk over eight innings. Bibee gets his first Opening Day start after missing the 2025 honor due to food poisoning.
Ben Lively, who was 3.22 ERA in nine starts before Tommy John surgery on June 4, 2025, signed a two-year minor league deal to return to Cleveland. He is rehabbing but is not part of the 2026 rotation picture until at least mid-year at the earliest. Logan Allen was the odd man out of the rotation despite a solid spring.
Key Offseason Moves
MLB Trade Rumors called it an immensely disappointing offseason. The total external free agent spending was approximately $11.9 million. The payroll dropped roughly $30 million from the previous two seasons. The Ramirez extension was the only meaningful move by any measure.
Shawn Armstrong returned on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Austin Hedges re-signed at $4 million. Colin Holderman and Connor Brogdon added bullpen depth. The organization selected Peyton Pallette from the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft. Lane Thomas, who had been a decent contributor, left for Kansas City.
Farm System
MLB Pipeline ranks the system sixth and has six Guardians in the Top 100. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel placed it second overall, behind only Milwaukee. The system starts with Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, who is ranked No. 20 on the Pipeline list. He hit .245/.389/.424 with nine home runs in 2025 despite oblique injuries and posted a 17.6 percent walk rate. He starts in Triple-A Columbus but is expected to debut during the season.
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