These five decisions will dictate if the Guardians have a successful offseason or not

Every offseason every team in baseball faces a number of tough decisions that eventually end up making a big impact on their success the next season.

Last offseason the Guardians decided to make some hard moves on the back of their ALCS appearance like trading Andrés Giménez and Josh Naylor.

After another season that resulted in the Guardians making the postseason, these five decisions will dictate whether the Guardians will be contenders in 2026 or not.

The Guardians will have plenty of decisions to make this offseason

What do they do with Steven Kwan?

While Kwan finished the year in disappointing fashion, a lot of his decline was due to a wrist injury he sustainted around the All-Star Break. Even in a down year, Kwan still hit .272 with 21 stolen bases and is a nominee for a Gold Glove (it would be his fourth in four years if he wins).

Kwan is projected to make $8.8 million in arbitration, which would make him the third-or-fourth-highest paid Guardian, depending on the status of Emmanuel Clase. Cleveland has a tough decision to make with Kwan.

Do they go through arbitration with him and see what next year brings, dothey lock him into a long-term extension, or do they go back in the trade market and see what return they can get for him?

This should be a conversation all offseason.

And with John Means?

The organization liked Means enough to pay him $1 million to rehab with them in 2025 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. There was some talk about Means getting a late season call-up, but that ultimately never came to fruition thanks to the Guardians run in September.

Means has a $6 million option for 2026 as a part of the contract he signed, and the Guardians have until five days after the World Series to decide whether or not to pick up that option.

Means was a top-level pitcher from 2019 through 2021, but has only pitched in ten games since then due to injuries. Pitching is still at a premium across baseball, so picking up his option makes the most sense.

But things don't end even if they pick up the option, as they could dangle him on the trade market to try to get a bat in return. Means is a lottery ticket; the Guardians just need to decide whether they want to be the team to scratch to see if it's a winner.

Do they try to fast track Travis Bazzana?

Bazzana was the No. 1 pick in 2024 MLB Draft and the Guardians have made it clear that he is their second baseman of the future. He just finished up a slightly disappointing season where he was limited to just 84 games due to an injury that impacted his consistency on the field.

However, he showed enough to earn a call-up to Columbus before the end of the season before generating some buzz for a major league call-up. Bazzana is the long-term answer at second base, but the Guardians need to figure out if they want to bring in a stop-gap option at the keytone or hand the keys to the kid.

Do they finally spend on a power hitter?

Every year it seems like there's talk about the Guardians adding a power threat to their lineup behind José Ramírez. This offseason, the top two power threat options hitting the market are Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso — both of whom have the power needed to hit 50 home runs.

That leads us to the big question: Is this the offseason where the team decides to take a shot on a splash signing? Or, if not, do they spend on a cheaper option like Marcell Ozuna to add some punch to the lineup? Deciding to stay put would show a lot of faith in guys like Chase DeLauter, George Valera, and CJ Kayfus take the next step. Is that the right move?

What do they do with Emmanuel Clase’s contract?

Nothing right now. While Clase is on leave, the Guardians are still technically on the hook for the $6.4 million he's owed next year.

However, there are some rumblings that MLB could make a decision about his fate soon. If he is banned for life, than the Guardians would be able to find a way out of paying what's owed for the rest of his contract.

The Guardians will have a couple different direction they could go in if they get his money off the books. They could use the savings for an in-house extension, use it to sweeten the pot for a free agent or save it to use in the future.

While these are just five decisions that the Guardians will have to make this offseason, there will be plenty more that will arise throughout the winter. The answers to those questions will dictate what happens next year, and could alter the trajectory of the organization for years to come.