Playing GM: 3 Moves To Complete the Cleveland Guardians’ Roster for 2026

For three of the last four seasons, the Cleveland Guardians have been crowned champions of the AL Central. Their most recent title might arguably have been their most impressive.

Coming out of August at 68-67 and in third place in the division, it felt like the Guardians wouldn’t even make the playoffs, let alone win the division. But a 20-7 record in September vaulted them all the way to the top of the division and into the No. 3 seed for the playoffs.

Unfortunately, their postseason stay was brief. Ironically, they were knocked out in the first round by the Detroit Tigers, the very team that surrendered the division to Cleveland at the end of September.

The Guardians came into the 2025-26 offseason well-positioned to make another run at a relatively weak AL Central division. A huge chunk of a pitching staff that finished fourth in MLB with a 3.70 ERA returns for the 2026 season.

But if they want to avoid another first-round exit, they need to invest in some offense. Cleveland managed just 3.96 runs per game last season, the worst mark in the AL and third worst in MLB.

As a continuation of our “Playing GM” series, we head to the shores of Lake Erie to look at a team that doesn’t often spend much but could also position itself as a strong AL contender by executing a few key offseason moves.

Here are three moves to complete the Guardians roster heading into the 2026 season.

1. Sign Marcell Ozuna to a One-Year Deal (With an Option)

It’s hard to add a significant amount of offense to a lineup without opening the pocketbook or trading valuable assets. And as was previously mentioned, the Guardians haven’t often done that in recent years.

One way to save a little coin while still adding talent is to take a risk on a player coming off a down year. The team saves money while the player restores value and shoots for a bigger deal in the future.

Cleveland has the opportunity to bring in a player looking to do that in designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. His 2025 season was a solid one by most players’ standards, but a down one by his own. At his best, he would be a huge upgrade for the Guardians offense.

Ozuna’s 21 homers and 68 RBIs last season would’ve both ranked third on the Guardians, while his 114 wRC+ would’ve ranked second among team qualifiers. It’s the results prior to last year that are so tantalizing, though.

The 35-year-old is just two years removed from a season in which he slugged 39 homers and 104 RBIs, was named an All-Star, and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. He will also likely join the 300 home run and 1,000 RBI clubs this season as well.

Ozuna could also help solve a big problem for Cleveland: hitting lefties. The Guardians batted just .224 with a .647 against left-handers last season. Meanwhile, Ozuna has mashed them over his career, hitting .276 with a .824 OPS.

We previously pegged Ozuna to land a contract somewhere in the one-year, $10-16 million range, and with the way contracts have gone this offseason, he’ll probably get the higher end of that range. The Guardians could add a mutual option as well to tip the scales in their favor.

Something needs to happen to get the Guardians out of the offensive cellar in 2026. If they spend a little extra on just one player, Ozuna would be a great one to pay.

2. Sign Starling Marte to a One-Year Deal

Should the Guardians decide that they aren’t stopping at a player like Ozuna to infuse offense into the club, there are some value adds to be had on the free agent market. That includes in the outfield, which is the other area Cleveland should look to address.

Guardians outfielders hit just a combined .225 with a 77 wRC+ in 2025, both second-to-last in MLB last year. And that’s with left fielder Steven Kwan hitting .272 with a 99 wRC+ in 156 games.

Cleveland has youngsters like George Valera and Chase DeLauter set to get some big playing time in 2026. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to add a veteran with a proven track record into the mix.

Enter 14-year MLB vet Starling Marte. The 37-year-old slashed .270/.335/.410 with a 112 wRC+ in 98 games last season. While that’s just slightly below his career averages, he has consistently been an above-average offensive player with a wRC+ of 100 or better in 12 of his 14 MLB seasons.

And like Ozuna, Marte would add some proficiency against southpaws. He has hit a solid .279 with a .770 OPS against lefties over his long career.

The best part is that Marte would be a relatively cheap addition as far as free agent contracts go; one year at $5 million should get the job done. That’s plenty worth it for such a proven quantity.

3. Give Travis Bazzana a Chance To Crack the Roster

The outfield isn’t the only area where Cleveland will be relying heavily on younger players. Even if they add veterans to the roster, a youth movement will continue to drive the team.

Soon, that movement will include a former first overall pick. Second baseman Travis Bazzana, Just Baseball’s No. 48 overall prospect, is already knocking on the door of the major leagues.

Bazzana was taken by the Guardians as the No. 1 pick out of Oregon State in the 2024 draft. Just over a year later, he was already with the organization’s Triple-A Columbus team.

In his first full professional season, Bazzana slashed .245/.389/.424 with 17 doubles, five triples, nine homers, 39 RBIs, 12 steals in 14 attempts, and a 137 wRC+ in 84 games across three levels. He had a 24.3% strikeout rate paired with a very good 17.6% walk rate.

Last year’s Guardians middle infielders weren’t nearly as dangerous at the plate. Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio, and Daniel Schneemann handled a majority of the workload at second and short, and they all had a sub-.700 OPS and sub-80 wRC+.

So what harm would there be in giving Bazzana a chance to win a roster spot during spring training? Best-case scenario, he earns a spot and gives Cleveland another boost on offense. Worst case, he doesn’t and starts the season in the minors again.

Few teams have as clear an offseason objective as the Guardians. The task is easy: find a way to add some offense and combine with that strong pitching staff to try to defend the AL Central title.