​The Cleveland Guardians are presently tied with the Chicago White Sox for the division lead, as both teams hold a share of the top spot in the American League Central. The Guardians, along with the White Sox, Tigers, and Twins, all remain in the mix to win the division, and Sports Yahoo has been optimistic about Cleveland’s first half. The team has managed to stay relevant even with Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez on the Injured List, and there is hope they’ll return soon.
This analysis identifies ten Guardians issues that warrant attention. First, the roster currently features only three true right-handed hitters among its 13 position players. Opponents frequently deploy left-handed relievers against Cleveland, a contemporary strategic mismatch given the Guardians’ emphasis on contact hitting, which has contributed to a higher-than-desired strikeout rate and many at-bats ending on third strikes or being non-competitive.
Second, the club struggles to deliver clutch hits with runners in scoring position, leaving a concerning number of men on base. By several key metrics, the Guardians rank near the bottom in the league for scoring runs, batting average, and OPS. Third, Cleveland is the only team in baseball that has used just five starting pitchers this season. How long that situation can persist remains a critical question, as the lack of depth in organizational MLB-ready starting pitching is troubling. There are indeed starters within the system, but questions remain about their readiness to contribute at the major league level.
Cleveland.com has commented on the current trajectory of the season with five starters, illustrating the potential fragility of any down period. In practical terms, the Guardians need more than five internal options to sustain a full season’s workload. The bullpen, while featuring capable arms, also requires reinforcement to ensure stability across the late innings. Cade Smith has emerged as a terrific closer, and Hunter Gaddis is a solid setup man, with Franco Aleman showing seventh- and eighth-inning potential. Colin Holderman has performed solidly in his role. Yet, Shawm Armstrong and Eric Sabrowski have demonstrated command and control inconsistencies that could undermine bullpen reliability when it matters most.
Looking ahead, there is debate about whether prospects Daniel Espino and/or Andrew Walters could serve as leverage relievers, and whether the club should pursue a trade for a left-handed reliever or a high-leverage bullpen arm to fortify late-inning options.
On the position-player front, two current players may need to be removed from the major league roster once Ramirez and Martinez return from injury. Petey Halpin is widely considered likely to be one of those departures. The other candidate for a roster move is less certain; it could be Kahlil Watson, who has shown promising hitting ability, solid defense, and speed, or it could be Gabriel Arias, who brings a strong arm and defensive versatility but delivers inconsistent offensive production. Another possibility is that the Guardians trade a current major league player to clear space for a top prospect, thus shrinking the immediate big-league roster while potentially accelerating long-term upside.
In a broader look at the team’s composition and future trajectory, this spring and early-season situation invites a discussion about whether Cleveland should pursue further organizational depth in starting pitching, bolster the bullpen with left-handed and high-leverage arms, and explore strategic trades to optimize both the present and the future. With Ramirez and Martinez nearing a return, the Guardians will face important decisions about roster composition, balancing the urgent needs of 2026 with the potential upside of promising prospects, and navigating the tight competition within the division as they press toward continued relevance and possible postseason contention.