How the Cleveland Guardians’ 2026 Payroll Compares to the Rest of MLB So Far

The Cleveland Guardians are notorious for spending far less than the league average in the offseason, and the early outlook suggests 2026 will be no exception.

It has been quite some time since the Guardians took an aggressive approach to their payroll when it comes to adding free agents over the course of an offseason. Fans have become accustomed to their lack of spending, with early offseason projections again slotting Cleveland far below the rest of the MLB.

Recent rankings were released by FanDuel regarding where each MLB team stacks up compared to others in money spent so far, with the Cleveland Guardians coming in at a disappointingly low but expected ranking for next season.

The Blue Jays have emptied the bank this offseason 💰

What else stands out here?#MLB pic.twitter.com/Dmqo3LgSoF
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) January 23, 2026

Cleveland has been fortunate enough to have played in a mediocre division in the AL Central the last few seasons, which hadn’t seen much improvement from any of the other four division rivals. The Guardians always seem to find themselves in contention for a division title, or at least a Wild Card Series appearance, with playoff berths coming in four of their last six seasons.

Their playoff track record could be in jeopardy in 2026 due to their lack of spending compared to others, as FanDuel has them ranked in the bottom five teams in terms of what they have spent so far. While Cleveland has bolstered their bullpen significantly since November, their offense remains a major point of question as to what fans can expect to see.

With an infield lead by your presumed everyday starters in All-Star third basemen José Ramírez and first basemen Kyle Manzardo, joined by the shortstop/second base duo of Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias, the hopes are that you see improvement from three out of the four with Cleveland not having to shell out much money between the three of them in 2026.

Ramírez, who just signed a restructured new contract extension on Saturday, sets the bar for the rest of the lineup. Somebody on their roster has to give him some support when it comes to their offensive numbers, and with Kyle Manzardo adding on some serious muscle this offseason, fans hope he can take a necessary step up in production whether that is at first base or designated hitter.

Cleveland’s outfield remains a question mark as well, aside from your multi time Gold Glove winner in left fielder Steven Kwan. Many fans hoped the Guardians would be in the running for one of the free agent outfielders, but their typical offseason approach to spending money indicates they will enter next season with their recent debut of center field’s Chase DeLauter or George Valera and potentially CJ Kayfus in right field.

Whether the Guardians decide to make a surprising big money free agent addition or not in the coming months leading up to Spring Training, it’s safe to say Cleveland is stuck in their old ways of using their in-house talent to spend less.