Veteran beat reporter predicts Guardians will make at least one offensive addition 

This offseason has been a whirlwind of movement on the position player front thanks to Pete Alsono signing with the Orioles, Kyle Schwarber returning to the Phillies on a historic deal and Alex Bregman joining the Cubs. 

But just because that’s the case with the rest of baseball doesn’t mean it’s the case with the Guardians. In fact, Cleveland’s lone offensive addition has come in the form of signing Stuart Fairchild to a minor league contract. Not exactly a marquee move. 

But it seems like there’s at least a chance that could change sometime soon, as Guardians beat reporter Paul Hoynes posted a reader mailbag for Cleveland.com over the weekend that raised a bit of optimism in regard to the future of the Guardians’ outfield. 

“I don’t see them signing a power-hitter in the same class as Encarnacion. I do think they’ll bring in a hitter on a short-term contract before opening day. I think they’ll add another hitter or two on minor league deals for spring training. How could they not after last year’s dismal performance by the offense?,” he wrote. 

It seems like the Guardians may add at least one external player to their lineup 

And Hoynes is right. The Guardians need to add some kind of hitter after they posted a .226 team batting average last season, which was ahead of only the lowly Angels. Normally that kind of rough performance results in a team doing everything in its power to upgrade the unit. 

Instead the Guardians put all their offseason resources into building their bullpen. Sure, that was an area of need, but not in the same vein as the lineup. 

While a lineup that features more of Chase DeLauter, George Valera and C.J. Kayfus will be better than one that featured Carlos Santana and Jhonkensy Noel, it’s still clear there’s some room to upgrade. 

While having those upgrades come in the form of a player on a minor league contract is deflating, it’s better than nothing — even if it doesn’t need to be that way. 

Impact outfielders Harrison Bader and Austin Hays are still lingering in free agency along with platoon options Mike Tauchman and Miguel Andujar. 

DeLauter, Valera and All-Star Steven Kwan are all left-handed hitters, so throwing a right-handed bat into the mix is a necessity, especially given that Johnathan Rodríguez is the only right-handed hitting outfielder on the 40-man roster. 

Again, it’s a good thing the Guardians are seemingly giving DeLauter and Valera a chance to be everyday players. They have the kind potential (and team control) the Guardians have long been searching for from their outfielders. 

But Steven Kwan was the only thing that saved the Guardians from having the worst outfield in baseball last season. Even if the outfield picture for 2026 is better than it was last season, there’s still clear work that needs to be done .