Cleveland

Guardians

Francisca leads all AFL hitters in batting average, RBI, and hits while also ranking second in OPS. He’s slashing .409/.467/.667 in 14 games with three home runs, 24 RBI, five steals, and a 14/8 K/BB ratio. He’ll likely open 2027 at Double-A and is emerging as a really interesting prospect.

The move protects the versatile 24-year-old from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Tolentino spent the entire 2026 campaign at the Triple-A level where he slashed .225/.328/.453 with 21 homers, 74 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 157/65 K/BB ratio over 497 plate appearances. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him debut with the Guardians at some point in 2027.

The Guardians churn out a couple of intriguing infield prospects every year, and the switch-hitting Francisca is one of their new names to know. He has come in at .436/.492/.745 with three homers and a league-high 22 RBI through 12 games in Arizona. He’ll likely open 2027 as a 20-year-old in Double-A.

Not having a GM or a manager isn’t keeping the Astros from adding to their staff. Watson has been an assistant hitting director for the Guardians the last two years.

The Seattle native has been receiving questions about his interest in coaching his hometown club, but he made it perfectly clear that his place is with the Guardians, noting, “I’ll be in Cleveland... I’m here. I’m coming back.” It sounds like the Mariners are casting a wide net in their search for a skipper to replace Dan Wilson.

He’ll be ready for spring training, but this obviously takes winter ball out of the mix for him. The 23-year-old Watson made his major league debut this year, hitting .239/.264/.341 with a 32/3 K/BB and nine steals in 91 plate appearances in June and July. He finished up at .247/.361/.455 with 19 homers and 24 steals in 98 games in Triple-A.

Murray reported that many teams expressed interest in acquiring Kwan at this year’s trade deadline, but the Guardians saw a chance to make a playoff run and opted to hold onto their outfielder. Now, with Kwan entering the final year of his deal and the Guardians unlikely to sign him to an extension, the market for him is likely to heat up again. Kwan had a down year in 2026, hitting .282/.382/.349 with three home runs and 32 RBI; however, he was sixth in baseball in WAR from June 30 to the end of the regular season, and some teams may see that as a sign that he is due for a bounce-back in 2027.

Smith walked the first hitter he faced and then gave up a line-drive homer to Junior Caminero that extended the Rays’ lead to 5-1. It’s a disappointing end to what was a spectacular season for Smith who had dominated in the playoffs prior to his outing on Monday, and he saved 41 games with a 1.95 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 74 innings. He’ll open 2027 as one of the best fantasy closers in baseball.

Even though the Guardians have been limited to eight runs in the last four games, nothing is changing tonight. The lineup: Steven Kwan (LF), José Ramírez (3B), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jo Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Travis Bazzana (2B), Patrick Bailey (C), Petey Halpin (CF) and Brayan Rocchio (SS). The only other player to get a start in the series was Austin Hedges catching in Game 2.

It’s a “win or go home” situation for the Guardians, so every reliever is going to be a potential option on Monday. Tanner Bibee figures to serve as one of the bulk followers, but Joey Cantillo threw just 15 pitches in Game 4 on Saturday, and Slade Cecconi threw 22 pitches in that game, so they will both be possibilities as well. Gavin Williams, we know, will not be an option unless there is a Game 7.