New statistic proves how disappointing Cleveland Guardians offseason has been

Cleveland's never been a high-roller.

And the Cleveland Guardians are not an exception to such a claim. Year in and year out, the front office has remained quiet with hopes that the homegrown talent the farm system has can one day light up Progressive Field.

However, the time is ticking on some of the team's current leaders, including both José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. Ramírez is creeping towards the end of his prime, especially considering he'll be turning 34 this season, and Kwan hasn't been offered an extension yet. They need talent alongside them, but it doesn't look like they'll get any external help.

Following a 2025 season that saw a lack of offensive production, the offense needed a reset, and the outfield needed to find more consistency at the plate. By the end of the season, the Guardians were the second-worst team in the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The team also finished the season with a 34.2 WAR, and unfortunately, it looks like none of the strugglesome marks they put up will improve. A predicted FanGraphs report claims the Guardians will have a 0.0 increase in WAR in 2026.

They added a few measly, questionable pitchers this offseason and no new high-impact bats.

FanGraphs predicts the Guardians will have a 0.0 increase in WAR in the 2026 season.

The team finished the 2025 season with a 34.2 WAR, and FanGraphs predicts they will finish with a 34.2 WAR in 2026. pic.twitter.com/3q67aTy3j2
— Guardians Nation (@GuardiansNation) January 19, 2026

Buckle up, 2026 is going to be a bumpy ride

Yes, the Guardians made the 2025 MLB Postseason, won the AL Central and finished 14 games above .500, but that's a near-impossible track to replicate. If Cleveland's front office thinks they can just run it back and get the same type of success, if not better, they may have lost their minds.

The statistics show that 2025 shouldn't have been what it was.

The team only had two batters, who played consistently, finish above a .250 batting average, both of whom were Ramírez and Kwan. The next closest to such a mark was Kyle Manzardo, who recorded a .234, but even he was sporadic and lost his groove at times throughout the season.

As a team, they finished with a slashing line average of .226/.296/.373 for an OPS of .670. That's borderline abysmal. The only teams that finished worse than that in all of MLB were the Angels in batting average, the Rockies in on-base percentage and the Pirates in slugging and OPS.

The Angels finished 18 games under .500, the Pirates were 21 games under, and the Rockies ended the season 76 games below .500. It’s a troubling thought that if another positive, fluke season fails to materialize, Cleveland could be staring at similarly weak records in 2026.

Manager Stephen Vogt has set high expectations for the team, but if the roster fails to match the youthful energy the organization is banking on, the downside could outweigh the upside over the course of the season.

"We expect to go out and win every night," Vogt said. "We are trying to win as many games as we can so we can have a chance to win a World Series. I think when that's our expectation, whatever expectations or pressure is coming in from the outside, it's not as much as the pressure we put on ourselves."

The Guardians' first look at MLB Spring Training will be in the coming weeks, with the team's first game set for Saturday, Feb. 21, against the Cincinnati Reds, with first-pitch set for 3:05 p.m. EST.

Cleveland's expected to trot out plenty of the organization's highly-touted prospects, some of which may end up making the Opening Day roster.