3 Guardians players who deserve extensions before Opening Day 2026

The Cleveland Guardians have a storied tradition of using the quiet moments of spring training to secure their long-term future. From José Ramírez's franchise-altering extension ahead of the 2022 season to the recent team-friendly extensions for Emmanuel Clase and Tanner Bibee, the front office knows that the best time to buy out arbitration years is before the first pitch on Opening Day.

This year the Guardians have a golden opportunity to lock in three more roster pillars this spring before their price tags skyrocket. Here's a look at the three we think deserve extensions the most.

The Guardians could win the offseason by extending these three players

Gavin Williams

Williams has been a revelation since he made his MLB debut in 2023, proving that his triple-digit heat and devastating curveball are Major League weapons, not just minor league myths.

Williams just surpassed two years of service time and is set to become arbitration-eligible after the 2026 season.

If the Guardians offered him a four-or-five year extension, they'd be buy out all of his arbitration years and his first year of free agency.

Think of Williams as a young Shane Bieber with more raw velocity. By locking him in now, the Guardians would avoid the massive salary spikes that come with a pitcher who strikes out 200+ batters a year.

It provides Williams with immediate security and gives Cleveland a terrifying 1-2 punch with Bibee for the next half-decade.

The biggest problem with this is that Williams is represeted by Scott Boras, who almost always pushes his clients to free agency. Still, we can dream, can't we?

Steven Kwan

Kwan is more than just a left fielder; he is the fundamental identity of the Guardians' offense. He is a four-time Gold Glove winner, a contact-hitting savant, and the undisputed spark plug at the top of the order.

Kwan will be in his second year of arbitration in 2026 and is currently slated for free agency after 2027.

The Guardians cannot afford to let Kwan reach the open market. He is the epitome of consistency, and as the team searches for power elsewhere, they need him causing problems at the top of the lineup.

He is this generation’s Kenny Lofton, a player who changes the game with his glove, his legs, and his refusal to strike out. Signing him to a high-dollar extension that goes through 2030 would ensure that the best leadoff hitter in the American League stays in Cleveland for his entire prime.

It would also prevent the Guardians from needing to trade him, which would be a gut punch to a fanbase that has been in this situation countless times before.

Bo Naylor

Power-hitting catchers who can also manage a pitching staff are among the rarest commodities in baseball: Naylor is exactly that. After a 2025 season where he made massive strides in his game-calling and showed flashes of 20-homer power, he is a prime candidate for a pre-arbitration extension.

Like Williams, Naylor will be arbitration-eligible in 2027, and catcher often have expensive price tags once they reach the open market.

With his defensive athleticism and lefty power, Naylor is trending toward a Brian McCann-type of profile. Extending him now ensures that the Guardians have a stable, offensive-minded backstop to lead their young pitching staff through the end of the decade.