3 forgotten Guardians who could be a big part of Cleveland's plans in 2027

Later this weekend, the Cleveland Guardians will kick off this year’s American League Division Series at home after a week-long layoff with a roster full of familiar faces. 

Steven Kwan will be atop the lineup. José Ramírez will be hitting somewhere in the middle. Cade Smith and Gavin Williams will both spend plenty of time on the mound. 

But just because the Guardians’ postseason run this year was fueled by familiar faces doesn’t mean they don’t have some forgotten players in the pipeline who could be key factors in 2027. 

The Guardians have plenty of unheralded players who could be key contributors in 2027 

RHP Ben Lively 

The last time Lively appeared on a mound for the Guardians, he was in the midst of a dazzling nine-start run for the 2025 iteration of the team. But that hit a snag that May when he left the mound with an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery. 

The good news for Lively and the Guardians is that he made his return to the mound this season in the minors, and finished the year with a 2.56 ERA in 31 1/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus. 

Lively signed a two-year, minor league deal last offseason so he’d have the peace of mind of having a place to rehab while the Guardians would be able to buy low on his injury. 

The Guardians’ rotation looks pretty set for next season, but every Cleveland offseason gives us a surprise or two. If he’s healthy, he should be in the Guardians’ pitching plans next season — whether it be as a starter or swingman. 

OF/C Cooper Ingle 

Ingle made his big league debut earlier this season but finished his tenure with the Guardians 2-for-21 with a game-deciding error in the outfield. 

But that shouldn’t take anything away from Ingle’s shine. Sure, he struggled in the big leagues, but he finished the year with a .951 OPS in Triple-A and learned the outfield on the fly so he could get to the big leagues quicker. 

The real deciding factor with Ingle’s future is his defense. He entered the year as a full-time catcher, but all of his time with the Guardians’ big league club was spent as a designated hitter or outfielder. 

His path to the big leagues would get a lot easier if he’s able to get to a point where the Guardians trust him behind the plate. Otherwise it would be tougher for him to cut through the team’s outfield logjam.  

OF Kahlil Watson 

Speaking of that outfield logjam, Watson also made his big league debut earlier this year but didn’t spend a ton of time on the big league roster. 

He ended up appearing in 27 games with the Guardians and posted a .605 OPS while playing some serviceable defense while tormenting the White Sox. 

Watson’s still just 23 and is coming off a season where he had 19 home runs at Triple-A, so he’s done everything he can to show he belongs in the big leagues. 

He spent all of this season on the outside of Cleveland’s outfield picture, but he could also be the beneficiary of an offseason trade that opens up some room in the Guardians’ outfield. 

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