Predicting the Guardians' 26-man roster for 2026 season ahead of uncertain offseason

The World Series is underway between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays and plenty of Guardians fans have a vested interest in the Blue Jays' success due to the number of former Guardians playing key roles in Toronto.

But, instead of looking at what could have been, let’s instead look at what could be with a preview of how the Guardians' 26-man roster could look at the start of next season. Spring training will be here before you know it.

The Guardians have plenty of intriguing players who could be on their 26-man roster in 2026

Locks

These players are almost guaranteed to represent the Guardians come early April. Unsurprisingly, eight of the 14 players from this list come from the pitching staff, which has been the strength of the club for the last few seasons. Notably, Chase DeLauter is on this list despite never playing in a regular season game while Brayan Rocchio made the list thanks to his strong performance at the end of the season.

Infielders

1. Jose Ramirez (3B, under contract for 2026)
2. Kyle Manzardo (1B)
3. Brayan Rocchio (2B/SS)
4. Bo Naylor (C)
5. Austin Hedges (C, already signed to contract for 2026)

Outfielders

6. Chase DeLauter (CF/RF)

Starting rotation

7. Tanner Bibee (under contract for 2026)
8. Gavin Williams
9. Slade Cecconi
10. Joey Cantillo

Relief Pitchers

11. Cade Smith
12. Hunter Gaddis
13. Erik Sobrowski
14. Tim Herrin

Probables

These players are most likely on the team, but decisions regarding arbitration, trades, and outside additions could lead to them suiting up somewhere else. The biggest name on this list is Steven Kwan, who could get traded in the offseason.

If a trade gets finalized, this list will be blown up as one can expect the Guardians could will likely get some MLB-ready players in a return for the All-Star. Other names of note are youngsters C.J. Kayfus, George Valera, and Parker Messick, who all played critical roles down the stretch but come into 2026 with less than half a season of service time under their belts.

Infielders

15. Gabriel Arias (SS)
16.Daniel Schneeman (Utility)
17. David Fry (Utility)

Outfielders

18. CJ Kayfus (RF/1B)
19. Steven Kwan (LF)
20. George Valera (RF)

Starting Pitchers

21. Parker Messick

Relief Pitchers

22. Andrew Walters
23. Matt Festa

Others

If the above list holds true, there are three spots open on the roster and, if we follow the 13/13 split for position players/pitchers, that leaves one position player and two pitchers.

The logjam comes in the outfield where there are seven options that all played for Cleveland at some point during the 2025 season. Nolan Jones and Will Brennan are veteran leaders with great gloves, but are clear non-tender candidates. Jhonkensy Noel and Johnathan Rodríguez are right-handed hitting corner options with limited success in Cleveland.

Angel Martínez and Petey Halpin are options in centerfield, but are a bit unproven. The most interesting decision that could happen, however, is if Cleveland will look bring back Lane Thomas on a one-year prove-it deal to man center field and right field and hit in the middle of the order.

On the mound, John Means remains the biggest question mark. Cleveland spent considerable time and resources rehabbing him during the offseason, and it's unlikely they would want to let him walk without seeing the fruits of their labor. Despite the depth in the starting rotation, Means could find himself manning the No. 5 spot out of spring training.

Hentges and Stephan are two former workhorses for the Guardians bullpen who are recovering from major arm injuries, so it's more likely that Cleveland brings in outside help rather than lean on either of them.

The most polarizing name on the list is Daniel Espino. The former top prospect is also coming back from several major injuries, but he’s hit 100 miles per hour in the Arizona Fall League and could serve as a high-upside option out of the bullpen. Given Cleveland’s track record of patience with injuries, a low-level external addition, a la Jakob Junis last season, is the most likely path to round out the 2026 bullpen.

Infielders

1. Juan Brito

Outfielders

1. Lane Thomas
2. Will Brennan
3. Nolan Jones
4. Jhonkensy Noel
5. Johnathan Rodríguez
6. Angel Martinez
7. Petey Halpin

Starting Pitchers

1. John Means ($6 million team option for 2026)
2. Logan Allen
3. Daniel Espino

Relief Pitchers

1. Sam Hentges
2. Trevor Stephan

From this group, we think the Guardians would go with Thomas, Means and Trevor Stephan. All three of them would be solid bounce-back candidates who would help fill holes on the roster. Thomas would help right the ship in center field, Means would provide a solid rotation arm (and would help the Guardians bear the fruits of his rehab) and Stephan would be a solid high-leverage arm (so long as he's able to get back to full health in the offseason).

Unsurprisingly, there are seemingly just as many question marks as there are answers with the roster for 2026. The Guardians' front office has lived on the edge of youth and controllable talent lately, and they once again find themselves with a handful of important and difficult decisions this offseason.