Guardians’ quiet offseason lambasted in anonymous poll of MLB decision-makers 

As you probably know by now, the Cleveland Guardians didn’t do much this offseason.

While they strengthened their bullpen with some quality MLB relievers and signed some unheralded veteran hitters to minor league deals, they stayed away from adding any hitters on guaranteed major league contracts. 

And the Guardians’ decision to do so has resulted in some mixed feelings from Guardians fans and MLB evaluators. 

On one hand, the Guardians’ decision to not add any outfielders means that prospects Chase DeLauter and George Valera will have the kind of opportunity to earn everyday playing time that the front office hasn’t given to prospects in years prior. 

But on the other hand, Cleveland outfielders combined for the fifth-worst batting average in baseball last season, so there’s a clear need for an upgrade. 

On Friday, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark released his annual spring training survey where he spoke to numerous unnamed MLB executives, coaches and players to get a lay of the land ahead of the 2026 season. 

And the only time he mentioned the Guardians in the survey was in the “least-improved AL team category”, where the Guardians were tied with the Twins for the most votes in the category. 

MLB executives weren’t a fan of the Guardians’ quiet offseason

Both the Guardians and Twins got 26 votes from Stark’s panel, though it’s worth noting that 12 of the 15 American League teams got at least one vote. 

The Twins’ inclusion on the list isn’t a surprise given they've been slowly tearing apart their roster over the past eight months while also navigating an uncertain ownership saga. 

But the biggest reason the Guardians made the list was because of their lack of moves, with Stark writing:

“It always comes through how much our voters respect the Guardians — including their “gritty” comeback to steal their division last year. But was there anyone who didn’t notice “they haven’t done anything to improve their offense”?”

That comeback has helped the Guardians save some face this offseason, as it’s a lot easier for them to ask the fanbase to stomach that inaction since they’re coming off a postseason berth that no one saw coming. 

And, in the end, it seems like the Guardians’ front office is perfectly comfortable opening the 2026 with an outfield picture filled with some of their young prospects as opposed to a B or C-tier external addition who could end up flaming out. 

The Guardians’ front office is no stranger to having the rest of baseball doubt their moves, and they have a pretty solid track record of making moves that end up working out in their favor. 

They made a clear decision to stay away from any big external additions this offseason, and it didn’t receive passing marks from some people in the baseball ecosystem. But just because that’s the case now doesn’t mean they made the wrong decision.