The Cleveland Guardians spent the entire 2026 MLB season trying to figure out the first base position.
It’ll be another point to focus on in the offseason with both Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins due to be free agents.
The Guardians certainly wish they were still playing right now rather than thinking about first base, but that’s not how things went for them. They made it six games in the ALCS but were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now, the Rays are down 2-0 in the World Series to the NL champion Milwaukee Brewers, and the Guardians are at home.
The lockout will complicate things further, but their first base outcome actually seems relatively straightforward.
Guardians Could Lose 2
Lowe and Hoskins are two veteran free agents, and both seem likely to end up elsewhere. They aren’t the types of players that the Guardians generally re-sign.
The Athletic’s Zack Meisel has also made clear that it’s logical for Cleveland to move on because of the younger players they have at the position.
“Lowe and Hoskins seem unlikely to return, given the club has Kyle Manzardo and top prospect Ralphy Velazquez to handle first base,” Meisel writes.
Manzardo struggled this season and was sent down after the Lowe trade, but it seems likely that he’ll get another chance in the 2027 season.
Velazquez is the exciting one. He’s got a great baseball name, Ralphy, and he can really rake — he possesses immense power to all fields.
If Lowe and Hoskins do both leave, it’ll just be a couple of guys departing that didn’t quite work out in Cleveland.
Nathaniel Lowe Trade Could Be Costly
The Guardians traded two players for Lowe when they got him from the Cincinnati Reds: Juan Brito and Alejandro Rivera.
Rivera is a teenage pitching prospect who has a long way to go but could develop into a useful player.
Brito is the more immediate aspect of the deal. The second baseman always hit well in the minor leagues but hadn’t done so in Cleveland, and he didn’t have a job once Travis Bazzana arrived in the majors.
But after getting traded to Cincy, Brito quickly stood out with his bat for the Reds. He hit better down the stretch than Lowe did.
If Brito turns into a quality MLB hitter, it’ll hurt that the Guardians traded him for just a few so-so months from Lowe.
Lowe was a positive presence on Cleveland’s roster, but the lack of hitting down the stretch and in the playoffs definitely hurt the Guardians’ chances of reaching their biggest goals this season.
Guardians Set To Lose 2 First Basemen in Free Agency