3 offseason goals Chris Antonetti must complete before Opening Day

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already one month into the MLB offseason. While that hasn’t corresponded with a ton of crazy moves, things will undoubtedly pick up after Thanksgiving thanks to the next month’s Winter Meetings. 

While the Guardians have been notably absent from any rumors surrounding the top free agents on the market, they still have plenty of things they need to figure out before the start of the 2026 season. 

Here are three things the Guardians’ front office needs to do before then if they want this to be classified as a successful offseason. 

The Guardians have three clear goals they need to complete this offseason

Add at least one impact arm to the bullpen 

Just to be clear there’s no way the Guardians are going to be able to replace Emmanuel Clase’s production, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t try. 

While Cade Smith stepping in as the Guardians’ new closer makes things a bit easier, the Guardians still need to add one or two pieces to their bullpen if they want it to remain a strength. 

Robert Suarez stands out as the top option but it’s hard to believe the Guardians would fork over the kind of contract he’s asking for. Luckily there are plenty of other solid options available in free agency (Pete Fairbanks) and in the trade market (JoJo Romero). 

Cleveland’s bullpen is still in a good place, but adding one more piece to it will turn it back into a dominant unit. 

Add one more established major leaguer to the outfield picture 

While the Guardians need to give Chase DeLauter and George Valera more chances in the outfield, that shouldn’t stop them from keeping an eye on external additions.

Cleveland’s outfield unit ranked as one of the worst last year thanks to underperformance from Nolan Jones, Angel Martínez and Lane Thomas, but all three shouldn't be as big of players in the outfield picture next season. 

The Guardians and Jones avoided arbitration with a $2 million contract, but that shouldn’t serve as a guarantee that he’ll be the everyday right fielder again after how things went last season where he hit just .211. 

Steven Kwan will be there everyday in left field (so long as he’s not traded), but both center field and right field are open for taking. Harrison Bader still stands out as one of the best fits thanks to his ability at the plate (17 home runs and 54 RBI in 2025) and defensive prowess. 

Ink at least one player to a long-term extension 

In 2022, the Guardians signed José Ramírez to his long-term extension during spring training. A year later, it was Trevor Stephan and Andrés Giménez’s turn. Last season Tanner Bibee got long-term security with his five-year extension. 

While Steven Kwan may be too far gone for an extension, there are still plenty of extension-worthy candidates on Cleveland’s roster. Imagine how much more fun it would be to think about the Guardians’ long-term outlook if Smith, Kyle Manzardo and/or Parker Messick were locked up for the future. 

Although the Guardians’ inability to hold onto stars is frustrating, they don’t get enough credit for the players they do manage to lock down. Expect them to extend at least one young star next spring.