It's Groundhog Day for Cleveland Guardians fans, as they once again watched their team surge to an AL Central title thanks to a red-hot September ... only for them to get bounced in the postseason amid an offsensive disappearing act. This team has made the playoffs in five of the last seven years with four division crowns, but they've only won three playoff series in that span. They've made it to the ALCS twice in three yeras now, but they haven't won an AL pennant since 2016 — with a World Series drought that dates back to 1948.

The Guardians have proven they can consistently get to October; it's getting over the hump that has proved challenging. Given their reluctance to spend much money, things will only get tougher for them, with these four players likely to depart this coming offseason.

OF Steven Kwan

Let's start off controversially. Steven Kwan has spent the first five years of his career with the Guardians, and he's made a pair of All-Star teams. The 2026 season was looking like a down one for him, but he hit .353 with an .875 OPS in the second half, playing a huge role in Cleveland's success down the stretch. Kwan remains an elite contact hitter with Gold Glove defense in the outfield. He even moved to center field this season and excelled.

This is a player the Guardians should want to keep, especially since he has another year of club control. But is that really going to happen? Kwan is projected to make over $11 million in arbitration in 2027, according to MLB Trade Rumors (only Jose Ramirez made more than that in 2026), and he'll be a free agent after the year. It feels far more likely that the Guardians will trade him this coming winter to save money and continue to build towards the future (even if it could be argued that they should be trying to win now with him).

1B Rhys Hoskins

The Guardians signed Rhys Hoskins to a cheap one-year deal last winter, hoping he'd add needed power to their lineup (at least against left-handed pitching). He did hit 13 home runs, tying him for fifth on the team despite only appearing in 95 games, but he also hit .178 with a .682 OPS in those contests. Hoskins was a non-factor for much of the year, and wound up getting left off the playoff roster entirely.

Hoskins has a solid track record and is bound to have a better year, at least in a platoon role, in 2027, but the Guardians should be pursuing an upgrade. Top prospect Ralphy Velazquez should be their primary first baseman moving forward, and they can do better when it comes to finding a right-handed option.

1B Nathaniel Lowe

Speaking of Velazquez being Cleveland's best first base option for 2027, that makes finding a spot for Nathaniel Lowe, another lefty first baseman, difficult. Additionally, while Lowe was having a strong year for the Reds prior to the Guardians acquiring him at the trade deadline, his production tanked in Cleveland.

Lowe slashed .226/.275/.376 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 43 games for the other Ohio team, and it's not like he's been a good defender the past couple of years either. Lowe is a fine player, but Velazquez has a higher ceiling, and if the Guardians don't want to hand him the keys just yet, they should aim higher than Lowe anyway.

LHP Foster Griffin

Foster Griffin is another player the Guardians acquired at the trade deadline, and while he had a regular-season ERA over 5.00 with Cleveland, a lot of that can be attributed to bad luck. He still had a 3.54 FIP with his new team and boasted a higher strikeout rate with the Guardians than with the Nationals.

Griffin should be a solid mid-rotation starter and is a pitcher the Guardians development machine would presumably get the most out of. But given the year he had (3.60 ERA in 31 starts with an All-Star appearance), he's also likely to fetch a pretty substantial contract in free agency. Cleveland can bring him back, but will they pony up? History suggests the answer is no, especially when developing pitching is their organizational superpower.