Cleveland Guardians inactivity continues into 2026

The New Year is here, but the Cleveland Guardians do not see anything different with the flip of the calendar. They are stuck in neutral, remaining whisper quiet on both the free agent and trade markets.

To be fair, the past week or two, thanks to the holidays, has been largely quiet across MLB. The White Sox have made the most noise, signing Munetaka Murakami and Sean Newcomb to deals.

There are still a handful of extremely impactful players on the market that could potentially fit in with the Guardians. Kyle Tucker would be an amazing bat to add to this lineup.

Sure, the Guardians are looking for right-handed outfielders, but if you trade left-handed Steven Kwan, that leaves a slot in both the lineup and outfield for Tucker. The price is going to be steep, but Tucker is a perpetual MVP candidate that you can pair with another perennial MVP candidate in Jose Ramirez.

Alex Bregman is very unlikely based on his being a third baseman. You are not giving up Jose Ramirez’s spot anywhere. Bo Bichette, though, is extremely interesting. The Guardians are already linked to All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals in trade rumors. Bichette is a free agent, willing to play either second base or shortstop.

Brayan Rocchio, despite getting praised by Manager Stephen Vogt, just does not cut it on offense or defense. Bichette led the league in multi-hit games last season, and he has plenty of pop. He would be arguably a better fit in this lineup, as a righty, than someone like Kyle Tucker.

Let us not forget Ketel Marte, for the time being, is still on the trade block and also plays second base. That is a position that can see an immediate upgrade with either of these two players, as Rocchio is unlikely to develop into an All-Star caliber player.

Let us be real. This is the Guardians. None of these players is a real option for this team. There have been comment after comment, story after story, pointing to the fact that the Guardians are unlikely to sign or trade for any players.

Sure, Steven Kwan may be on the move. But outside of that, there will be no big-time signings or long-term deals being made. This was proven by the silence of the Guardians on Murakami. The deal was short and sweet, literally, and they still did not bite.

This team won the division off a miracle comeback last year. If they have hopes of three-peating the division and making some real noise in the American League postseason, they need someone in the lineup who can hit and hit for power.

Right now, that is missing. Runs will continue to be a rarity. Maybe the young players become stars, but stardom is hard to come by. They more than likely remain average baseball players. Average baseball players do not win World Series championships.

It may be a New Year, but this is the same old Guardians, no matter how much fans want that to change.