CLEVELAND — As the dust settles on 2025, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves at a familiar crossroads: talented pitching and gritty defense kept them competitive, but a sputtering offense has repeatedly barred their path to a championship. Despite securing a playoff berth, their batters’ inconsistency and lack of depth proved disastrous in the postseason — underscoring a glaring need for reinforcement.
For much of the year, Cleveland’s offense lagged behind league standards. The team hit just .226 — the lowest full-season average in franchise history — and ranked 28th in runs scored per game and in adjusted offensive production (wRC+). Only a handful of players provided above-average production, and too often, opposing pitching overwhelmed the rest of the lineup.
The weaknesses were obvious in the Wild Card Series, where Cleveland managed a paltry .178 batting average and collected only 16 hits across multiple games.  Even clutch performances from a few — including a late homer from one reliever and a breakout from a rookie — couldn’t mask the broader problem: the lineup lacked consistent, middle-of-the-order power to push runs across when it counted most.
Reliance on a core group of hitters — including stars like JosĂ© RamĂrez and emerging names such as Kyle Manzardo — has been a recurring gamble. While both have flashed brilliance at times, even their production could not compensate for widespread lineup struggles. Among players with 200+ plate appearances, most posted wRC+ numbers well below league average.
That trend must end if Cleveland hopes to make a serious run at the World Series. The front office and fans alike know this: a rotation full of promising arms and a dominant bullpen can only take a team so far if the bats don’t show up when the pressure mounts.
Paths Forward — Trade, Free Agency, or Internal Breakout
This winter provides the Guardians with several strategic choices. They could:
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Target a proven middle-of-the-order bat, ideally a right-handed-hitting slugger to balance their left-heavy lineup. That type of addition could significantly boost run production and give pitchers more margin for error.
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Lean on internal development, giving prospects and younger players — such as emerging outfielders or bench bats — a shot at stepping up in 2026. This path carries low cost but a high degree of uncertainty.
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Explore the trade market or target mid-tier free agents, absorbing salary in exchange for upside bats. If executed carefully, this could improve depth without sacrificing payroll flexibility.
The Stakes — And the Deadline
For the Guardians, the upcoming offseason may define whether 2026 is another good-but-fall-short campaign, or the year Cleveland finally breaks through. With their pitching base relatively stable, the onus falls on the offense. If they fail to add impact hitting, even elite arms will struggle under postseason pressure and run-support scarcity.
With fans clamoring for a championship — a World Series title that has eluded the franchise for decades — Cleveland’s front office knows there’s little room for error. The choice is clear: reinforce the offense, or risk letting another season slip through their fingers.
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