3 biggest 'ifs' toward success for the Cleveland Guardians in 2026 

A lot can happen over the course of an MLB season. With 162 games spread across a six month period, every team has to endure plenty of highs and lows across a season. 

And while some of those highs and lows pop up in unforeseen ways, there are still plenty of storylines that are already evident across the league — and the Guardians are no exception. 

Here are three of the biggest ‘ifs’ that will determine whether it’ll be a successful season at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario in 2026. 

The Cleveland Guardians have plenty of questions to answer in 2026 

What if Chase DeLauter can’t stay healthy? 

DeLauter’s health is paramount for the Cleveland Guardians this season. Not only is he a tangible example of the Guardians’ future, but he also has a legitimate shot to become the second-best bat in Cleveland’s lineup. 

But all of that could be rendered moot if he’s unable to stay healthy, which has been the biggest bugaboo throughout his career. The Guardians are going to play him exclusively at right field in the hopes that’ll keep him healthy, but it remains to be seen if that will work. 

If DeLauter is forced to miss any time then George Valera will see even more work in right (so long as he stays healthy himself), while Angel Martínez, Daniel Schneemann and CJ Kayfus could see even more time in the corners. 

What if the bullpen fails to build on last season’s success? 

Last year Cleveland’s bullpen met the moment after Emmanuel Clase got suspended and ended up finishing the year with one of the best bullpen ERAs in baseball. 

But it’s fair to assume there could be some kind of regression coming given how tough it would be to replicate that success across a full 162-game season. 

The bullpen suffered its first blow this spring when Hunter Gaddis hit the injured list with a forearm strain, but it seems like he won’t be out for long. 

Even if the Guardians’ offense is better than it was last season, they’re still going to play in a ton of close games where their bullpen is going to need to step up. Things could get ugly if that doesn’t happen. 

What if José Ramírez struggles? 

There will eventually come a point in time where Ramírez takes a step back. Father Time is undefeated, after all. But the way that he’s been playing, it seems like that may not happen until we’re all living on the moon. 

But every year that goes by could potentially be this year where Ramírez goes from good to great. And the best way for the Guardians to be able to adapt to that whenever it happens is to build a team around him that has some depth behind him. 

Adding DeLauter to the roster is a great way to do that, but the Guardians are going to need more than just him to step up. 

Steven Kwan has been a great complement to Ramírez at the top of Cleveland’s lineup, but his time on the roster could be creeping closer and closer to an end. 

There have been multiple points over the past two seasons where Ramírez carried the Guardians’ offense on his back for long stretches. They’re going to need more from the rest of the offense around him this year if they want to complete their three-peat in the division.