3 unheralded former Guardians hitters who are poised to break out elsewhere in 2026

You don’t need to look that hard around the MLB landscape to find some former Guardians hitters who are excelling elsewhere. The Rays’ lineup is led by former Guardians prospects Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero, while former Guardians top prospect Francisco Lindor is the face of the New York Mets. 

But the list doesn’t stop there. Even if some of the other former Guardians playing elsewhere don’t have the All-Star pedigree of Caminero and Lindor, they’re still solid players for their respective team. 

With that in mind, here’s a look at three former Guardians who flew under the radar who could put together strong showings next season. 

These three former Guardians could be productive major leaguers in 2026

Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays 

The sky is quickly becoming the limit for Clement after his stong 2025 season.

Along with being nominated for a Gold Glove at two different positions this season, Clement hit .277 in the regular season for Toronto during the regular season and is in the midst of a great season. 

Clement was beloved in the Guardians’ clubhouse during his time in Cleveland, and his star turn in Toronto has been great to see, if it’s a bit bittersweet since it’s not happening with the Guardians. 

Clement is under arbitration control through 2028, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him ink a long-term extension with the Blue Jays at some point in the offseason so they could make him the third baseman of the future. 

But even if he doesn’t get an extension, he should still put together a strong showing in 2026 for the Guardians. 

Tyler Freeman, Colorado Rockies 

The Guardians elected to trade Freeman to the Rockies at the end of spring training and it’s a trade that could end up becoming a loss for the Guardians. While Freeman finished the year as a negative player by bWAR, most of that was due to the fact that he was worth -10 DRS in the outfield. 

He hit .281 at the plate with two home runs, 31 RBI while adding 18 steals and 20 doubles. 

Freeman always showed flashes during his time in Cleveland, and he was able to build on that in Colorado while working as an everyday player for the first time in his career. 

Not only is he one of the best contact hitters in baseball (12.5% whiff rate and 11.9% strikeout rate), he also gets the inherent benefit of playing half of his games at the launch pad that’s Coors Field. 

Freeman should be even better in 2026 after a productive first season at the plate in Colorado so long as the Rockies finally move him back to the infield. 

Ramón Laureano, San Diego Padres 

After 72 forgettable at-bats with the Guardians in 2023 and ‘24, Laureano has turned things around and enters 2026 on one of the best contracts in all of baseball. 

He entered 2025 with the Baltimore Orioles and hit .290 with 15 home runs before being traded to the San Diego Padres at the deadline. He hit .269 in 50 games with the Padres in the second half before missing the final two weeks of the season and the Wild Card round due to a fractured finger. 

He has a $6.5 million option for next season that the Padres will assuredly pick up, and he seems destined for a strong season since he’ll be flanked by All-Star hitters in Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. He should get plenty of pitches to hit next season.