Five Takeaways From The Cleveland Guardians’ 2025 Season

If there could be a silver lining to what unfolded with Clase this year, it’s that the Guardians’ closer role will be just fine with Cade Smith running point.

His ERA jumped a full run from a season ago, going from 1.91 to 2.93, but everything under the hood remained elite. His strikeout and walk rates were negligible from a year ago, and he saved 16 games with 13 in the final two months of the season.

Since 2024, Smith has 5.4 fWAR, which is a full win higher than second-place Mason Miller. His 2.7 fWAR in 2025 ranked first among relievers as well, even eeking out Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman. He also ranked second in FIP (1.95), eighth in expected FIP (2.65), and tied for fifth in appearances (76).

It should come as no surprise, but the sheer dominance of his heater carried him this year. He threw it 69.9% of the time in 2025, holding opponents to a .170 batting average against. The splitter regressed from the success of his 2024, but it still generated a 38.5% whiff rate and 31.1% strikeout rate.

The mix of dominance and volume gives Smith a very compelling case for best reliever in the sport. While Cleveland still needs to replace the production lost by Clase’s departure, they don’t have to worry about finding a new closer at the very least.

José Ramírez Is Running His Way to Cleveland Franchise History

We all know José Ramírez is fantastic, but he’s starting to close in on Nap Lajoie for the greatest Guardians player in team history.

In 2025, the third baseman stole a career-high 44 bases on 51 attempts. He also slashed .283/.360/.503 with a 133 wRC+ and 6.3 fWAR in 158 games. This season marked his fourth 30-homer season and sixth season of at least six wins above replacement.

As it stands, Ramírez ranks fourth in team history — fifth including pitchers — with 57.7 fWAR, 17.2 behind the first-place Lajoie.

He turned 33 years old in September, which serves as a reminder that he’s likely closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Not only that, but it also symbolizes the end of the typical prime of one’s career — so remember to appreciate the greatness while it’s ongoing.

Gavin Williams Looks Like a Frontline Arm

Once the calendar flipped to May, Gavin Williams took off in his third big-league season. In his final 25 starts, he posted a 2.64 ERA while striking out a quarter of his batters faced. Narrow that sample down to his final five outings, and his ERA falls to 1.74.

He also pitched six innings, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run in his lone postseason start against the division rival Tigers.

Under the hood, it suggests some luck was on Williams’ side in 2025, as his FIP was 4.28 in that final 25-start stretch. But the climb in strikeouts and run prevention speaks volumes to his development at the MLB level.

Cleveland sorely needed Williams to ascend when he did. With the aforementioned Bieber recovering from elbow surgery, and Tanner Bibee having a down year by his standards, that stretch of frontline-caliber pitching kept the Guardians afloat.

A team can never have too much pitching, but Williams establishing himself as a true big-league contributor takes the pressure off Bibee to be an ace in 2026 and beyond.

This Team Has a Hard Ceiling Until They Land Another Impact Bat

As elite as Ramírez is, and as steady as Kwan has been at the top of the Guardians’ order, there’s not a lot of length in this lineup. As an offense, they ranked 28th in both runs scored and in wRC+ (87).

Kyle Manzardo had a 113 wRC+ with 27 home runs, softening the blow of trading longtime first baseman Josh Naylor last offseason. However, of those with at least 50 plate appearances, he and Ramírez were the only two above-average bats in 2025 on the roster.

Among Guardians with at least 200 plate appearances this season, seven of the 10 hitters finished with a wRC+ below 90.

There are reports circling that Cleveland is in pursuit of outfield help this offseason, which would certainly help address this issue. Unfortunately, it seems as though every season they are in need of an outfielder.

They’ve tried in the past to bandage that hole with Nolan Jones, Lane Thomas, Jay Bruce, etc., But until they’re able to add a player with team control, it’s hard to see them hitting enough to pose a real threat in the American League.