Cleveland Guardians 2024 offseason preview: What’s next for José Ramírez and Co. after the ALCS loss?

Let’s take a look at the Cleveland Guardians’ 2024 season, the questions the team will have to address this winter, and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB Offseason Preview: What’s Next for the Orioles, Astros, Phillies and More??

Postseason result

The Guardians maintained their postseason hold until Game 5 of the ALCS. They saved themselves from a potentially embarrassing end to their campaign by coming from a 2-1 series deficit to eliminate their division rivals Detroit in the ALDS before losing to the Yankees in the next round.

Lane Thomas had a solid postseason (.766 OPS) and delivered arguably Cleveland’s biggest hit of the year when he hit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal deep to secure the series-clinching win. Steven Kwan continued to make noise in the lineup by hitting .381 in October, and José Ramírez (.798 OPS) remained the centerpiece of the lineup.

Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry provided the other big hits in October, hitting home runs in the ninth and 10th innings, respectively, to win ALCS Game 3 against the Yankees. On the pitching side, Matthew Boyd (0.77 ERA) and Tanner Bibee (3.45 ERA) led the rotation. Unfortunately, Emmanuel Clase (9.00 ERA) had a forgettable postseason. While the superstar closer made two saves, he also suffered two losses and blew a lead in another game.

Things that went well

The Guardians, like every other team in recent memory, have been carried by their bullpen. After all, this is a club that won 92 games despite its offense ranking 14th in runs scored and a rotation that ranked 24th in ERA. Fortunately, deficiencies in other parts of the roster were often addressed by the relief corps, resulting in a 2.57 ERA, 0.61 lower than any other team. Emmanuel Clase was the leader of the group as he became the third pitcher in the last 30 years to collect 47 saves and post an ERA under 1.00. The setup crew of Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and Tim Herrin each posted an ERA under 2.00 in at least 74 appearances.

Offensively, the club was led by José Ramírez, who hit one home run short of a 40-40 season (and rained out the team’s final game) while surpassing the century mark in runs and RBI. His OPS of .872 ranked 12th in baseball. Josh Naylor was another driving force as he reached the 30-homer and 100-RBI plateaus for the first time.

Things that went wrong

It’s a good thing the bullpen was so effective because the rotation left a lot to be desired. Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively each threw more than 150 innings while posting an ERA under 4.00. However, other than those two things, things were ugly. No other Cleveland hurler posted an ERA below 4.80 in at least 10 starts. Carlos Carrasco, Logan Allen, Triston McKenzie and Gavin Williams were the biggest disappointments, and Shane Bieber missed almost the entire season due to Tommy John surgery.

The lineup had some successes, namely Ramírez and Naylor, but also some shortcomings. Andrés Giménez, Bo Naylor, Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio each appeared in more than 100 games and finished the season with an OPS under .640. Only two players on the team scored at least 65 runs. Giménez deserves credit for his excellent defense at second base, but the other members of the closing team made minimal contributions offensively.

Off season plans

Nearly every key member of Cleveland’s roster is under contract through 2025, giving the front office the flexibility to look for improvements while also having fallback options anywhere.

Ramírez will continue to lead the lineup from his position at the hot corner, and even though Giménez tends to trend down offense, his gloves will keep him in the lineup. The Naylor brothers will return at first base and catcher. Backstop Bo has slowed down offensively this year, but is only 24 years old and will get more opportunities to improve. The same goes for Rocchio, who is a year younger than Naylor but needs to make big strides offensively if he wants to remain the starting shortstop. David Fry played five defensive positions in 2024 and is well suited as a utility player going forward.

The outfield is located at two of the three spots. Lane Thomas struggled after reaching the trade deadline but pitched well in September and will return as a center fielder. Steven Kwan is signed as a left fielder and leadoff hitter, while Angel Martínez and Jhonkensy Noel are both hitting well enough as rookies to have a shot at a full-time role next year. Will Brennan is a useful backup outfielder and Kyle Manzardo could get a chance as DH.

The rotation has accomplished a lot, but needs to recover from a disappointing year. Bibee, Lively and Williams are locked in three of the five spots. Joey Cantillo will look to secure a rotation spot after putting up unremarkable stats at the end of 2024. After that, there aren’t many options left. Matthew Boyd performed well in the home stretch but is headed to free agency. Shane Bieber will be free as he recovers from Tommy John and the team desperately needs to acquire at least one reliable starting player.

Luckily, the relief corps returns all key members and continues to make up for a mediocre rotation. Additionally, if the cost-conscious Guardians want to acquire upgrades via the trade market rather than free agency, the front office has the luxury of potentially trading one of its bullpen arms to bolster the roster elsewhere.

If team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff want to keep Cleveland ahead of AL Central competition, they will need to lengthen the roster overall and have at least one starter. This franchise isn’t known for flashy free agent signings, meaning the Guardians will likely have to get creative with free agents or second-tier trades.

Perspectives on the horizon

The Guardians have always relied on the principles of player development, and their current prospect pool has plenty of potential.

Travis Bazzana immediately became the headliner of the farm system when he was selected first overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old second baseman has tremendous hitting skills and speed and could reach the majors by the middle of next season. Bazzana posted a remarkable 1.479 OPS in his final NCAA season.

Chase DeLauter, the team’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft, is likely the next significant prospect to weigh in on the Guardians’ roster. The outfielder has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, resulting in him only appearing in 96 minor league games. But he has advanced through three levels this year and plans to push for power and average once he reaches the majors.

The team’s other top young prospects, Jaison Chourio, Ralphy Velazquez and Angel Genao, are expected to make a big impact at some point, but won’t make their debuts until 2026 at the earliest.

Goals for 2025

The Guardians are quietly one of the most consistent franchises in baseball. They have posted a winning record in 10 of the last 12 seasons and have finished first or second in the AL Central in eight of the last nine seasons. However, staying ahead of the competition is becoming increasingly difficult as the Royals and Tigers appear to have turned a corner in their long rebuild and the Twins continue to field a competitive club.

There’s no doubt that Cleveland’s goal should be to repeat as division champions, but the likelihood of the Guardians accomplishing that will depend on the organization’s aggressiveness this offseason.

Fantasy focus

Ramírez is the headliner of Cleveland’s fantasy assets and will be selected in the first round of any 2025 draft. Clase is the next man on the roster to be named as he will be the top closer in the eyes of virtually every drafter.

The next tier of guards – Josh Naylor, Kwan and Bibee – will be selected in Rounds 6-10. In roto leagues, Thomas and Giménez will be good options in the second half of drafts due to their base-stealing ability.