2 Guardians moves that already look genius, 2 that look like huge gaffes

Last year, the Cleveland Guardians went on a wild run through September to steal the American League Central crown away from the Detroit Tigers. And, like they have in previous years, the Guardians’ front office followed that up with a bit of a quiet offseason. 

But quiet doesn’t always equal bad. In fact, here are two moves the front office made that look great… and two that may not age well. 

2 Guardians moves that already look genius 

Being aggressive in acquiring bullpen additions 

The Guardians lost more than half of the players who finished the year in their bullpen to injuries and free agency, so we knew that Cleveland’s front office was going to need to make some kind of bullpen addition(s) in the offseason. 

I don’t think any of us expected them to be as aggressive as they have been, however. 

After adding Connor Brogdon at the start of the Winter Meetings (a very Guardians transaction), selecting White Sox RHP Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft and signing Colin Holderman to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, it was fair to assume that the Guardians were done adding to the ‘pen. 

Turns out that assumption would be very, very wrong. 

A little less than a week after adding Holderman, the Guardians added funky lefty Justin Bruihl via a trade with the Blue Jays that brought about the end of Jhonkensy Noel’s time on the roster. 

And then they signed Shawn Armstrong on a major league contract and inked Codi Heuer to a minor league deal. 

While no pitcher on the planet possesses the kind of skill that Emmanuel Clase brought to the table, the Guardians are trying their hardest to replace him in the aggregate with seemingly every relief pitcher available on the market. 

Not trading Steven Kwan at Winter Meetings 

It’s still hard to believe the Guardians didn’t trade Steven Kwan at the Winter Meetings. In fact, I’d imagine Chris Antonetti woke up every day at the Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida with the devil on his shoulder playing Josue De Paula clips on repeat. 

But the Guardians ended up holding onto their plucky All-Star outfielder, and they’re better off for it. 

Even if Kwan would bring a windfall of prospect riches to the Guardians, it’s tough to put a price on the value that he holds internally for a team desperately in need of offense production. 

Even if Kwan’s going to be a mainstay in trade rumors for the next season (so long as he and the Guardians don’t reach an extension), holding onto him now is the right move. 

2 Guardians moves that already look like huge gaffes 

Signing (and then DFA’ing) Justin Bruihl 

As mentioned above, the Guardians’ decision to bring in Bruihl meant they needed to free up a roster spot, and Noel got caught in the crossfire. 

While Noel had a tenuous hold on his roster spot due to his struggles in 2025 and his lack of minor league options, his DFA was a bit of an underwhelming departure for a player with one of the biggest home runs in team history. 

And it’s a move that looks even worse considering Bruihl didn’t last a week on the roster before being designated for assignment as the corresponding move for Armstrong’s signing. 

Although there’s a chance that both players could eventually sneak through waivers unclaimed, there’s a better chance that both players end up playing elsewhere in 2026. 

Failing to add at least one proven MLB bat 

In 2025, the Guardians finished the season with a .226 team batting average, which was one point ahead of the Los Angeles Angels, who finished the year 72-90. 

And how have they responded to that? By re-signing Austin Hedges and signing Stuart Fairchild to a minor league contract. 

Don’t get me wrong, Hedges is a valuable player and Fairchild is the perfect kind of player to sign to a minor league deal, but there needs to be more than this. 

The presence of George Valera and Chase DeLauter in the outfield picture should make things better than they were last year, but there’s no excuse for Johnathan Rodríguez being the only right-handed outfielder on the 40-man roster. 

There’s still plenty of MLB-ready outfielders available for cheap in free agency, but the Guardians signing any of them is far from a foregone conclusion.