Cleveland Guardians Front Office Responds to Concerns on Disappointing Offseason

The Cleveland Guardians just committed to José Ramírez for the rest of his career.

For the past few years, he's been the most consistent player at the plate for the Guardians, slashing .280/.358/.527 since his first All-Star selection back in 2017. Just last season, he maintained that reliable presence at the plate, crushing 34 doubles and 30 home runs, while also making an impact on the base paths with 44 stolen bases.

But outside of him, there wasn't much offensively in 2025.

Heading into the offseason, the hope was that Cleveland's front office was going to go out and sign a couple of bats to boost the team's offense, which, as a team, finished second-to-last in numerous statistical categories, including a .226 batting average. However, they decided to instead focus on adding to the bullpen and have not added a major league bat.

At Ramírez's contract extension press conference on Thursday, Jan. 29, President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, was in attendance. He was asked about the current state of the roster and why the team was not able to bring in any help for the 33-year-old for the 2026 campaign.

Leah Doherty, a reporter at Cleveland19News, summarized what Antonetti said.

"Chris Antonetti said they did target players to help the team offensively and made offers," she wrote. "But ultimately it came down to playing time, and that’s why they decided to sign elsewhere.

"He emphasized the investment in young talent already on the roster."

#Guardians President of Baseball Ops, Chris Antonetti said they did target players to help the team offensively and made offers, but ultimately it came down to playing time and that’s why they decided to sign elsewhere.

He emphasized the investment in young talent already on… pic.twitter.com/JwTVonAAri
— Leah Doherty (@LeahDohertyTV) January 29, 2026

Why the Guardians' offseason wasn't that much of a surprise

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, mainly due to how many prospects are set to take big jumps in 2026.

At the end of last season, the team called up outfielders George Valera, Petey Halpin and Chase DeLauter, utility man C.J. Kayfus and pitcher Parker Messick. Each looked pretty good, but unpolished, and will be given a chance to solidify a spot on the Opening Day roster in spring training.

But those won't be the only youngsters given the chance, as multiple other prospects are poised to get a call at some point this season.

In the recent MLB Pipeline Top 100 rankings, the Guardians were honored with fielders Travis Bazzana, Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez and Cooper Ingle, as prospects that were highly regarded. Genao and Velazquez may be closer to two years out for a call-up, but Bazzana and Ingle are considered to be two who will get a shot at some point this season.

If the Guardians front office really does believe in the players they've grown and developed, it makes sense that they aren't willing to go out there and shake things up. Signing or trading for a player who's established would just cause timelines for development to be extended.

Many analysts and fans believed this was the reason why Cleveland was so quiet, but hearing Antonetti come out and say it just gave that full confirmation that they are leaning into the prospects on the roster in 2026. The only hope now is that they live up to the expectations set forth.

"We have had a lot of success over the past decade, really, in putting together playoff teams, but we know we have to do it differently," Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff said.

The Guardians' first look at who developed and is looking poised for 2026 will come in the spring training window, which will see the first game be played on Saturday, Feb. 21, against the Cincinnati Reds. The first pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m. EST.