The Guardians have had a quiet offseason, only re-signing backup catcher Austin Hedges and acquiring a handful of relievers on one-year deals. They’ve yet to add anyone to a lineup that ranked 28th in scoring. They were the only team in the bottom 10 that made the postseason, so it’s unlikely they’ll get back to October without improving the offense.
Cleveland’s budgetary restrictions mean they’re never going to accomplish much via free agency. They’re unlikely to often package top prospects for marquee trade chips. The Guardians should make a smaller move or two in the back half of the offseason. They opened last season with a $103MM payroll, and RosterResource calculates their ’26 obligations around $78MM. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote as part of a reader mailbag over the weekend that he expected some kind of lineup acquisition on a short-term deal. Adding a complementary right-handed outfield bat would make sense with Lane Thomas departing via free agency.
That said, the majority of the necessary offensive improvements will have to come internally. That’s especially true in the middle infield, where serviceable free agent options are slim. Cleveland middle infielders combined for a .225/.289/.359 slash line with a 27.6% strikeout rate that was 29th in MLB (marginally better than the Angels’ 27.8% mark). That’s clearly an area for upgrade as the 2024 first overall pick gets closer to making his debut. How will things shake out?
The Incumbents
Of the five players who logged any middle infield action for Stephen Vogt’s club last year, only Will Wilson is off the roster. Last year’s middle infield usually involved a three-player rotation: Gabriel Arias mostly at shortstop, Daniel Schneemann in a multi-position role with a lot of second base work, and Brayan Rocchio bouncing between the up-the-middle spots.
Angel Martínez also started 25 games at second base but was more frequently used in center field. The Guardians could push him back into a utility role this year depending on their outfield performance. Chase DeLauter made the ALDS roster and should be ticketed for his regular season MLB debut on Opening Day. They could add a center fielder in free agency. Harrison Bader would be an excellent fit but might be out of their price range. Even if that’s the case, taking a buy-low flier on Chas McCormick as a fourth outfielder makes sense.
None of Arias, Rocchio, Schneemann or Martínez contributed much offensively. By measure of wRC+, they were all between 21 and 26 points below league average. Rocchio led the pack with a subpar .233 batting average and .290 on-base percentage. He hit five home runs in 115 games. Schneemann, Martínez and Arias each had 11 or 12 longballs.
The season trend lines were most favorable to Rocchio. He was at least within range of league average in the second half, batting .257/.313/.376 over his final 241 plate appearances. Arias (.203/.247/.356), Schneemann (.194/.268/.309), and Martínez (.207/.283/.313) all had terrible numbers after the All-Star Break. Arias and Rocchio were the starters in the postseason, though Vogt was quick to hit for Arias and use Schneemann off the bench.
Rocchio is probably on the strongest ground of the group, yet he remains a .222/.293/.327 hitter in more than 900 career plate appearances. He turns 25 tomorrow and is out of minor league options. He’ll break camp but shouldn’t be a lock to remain on the roster all season if he doesn’t build off the second half promise. Public metrics have been divided on his defense, grading him highly in 2024 but looking less favorably on last year’s work.
Arias, 26 in February, is also out of options. He has huge physical tools: plus bat speed and raw power, a solid glove, and an excellent arm. That’s undercut by an untenable approach. Arias chases tons of pitches off the plate and too frequently gets beat within the strike zone. He had the fourth-highest strikeout rate among hitters with 300+ plate appearances. No one missed more often on a per-pitch basis. Aside from occasionally running into a fastball for a homer, he’s not going to provide any offense.
Schneemann is a utility player who is a couple weeks away from his 29th birthday. He’ll work some walks and pop a few home runs against right-handed pitching, but there’s also too much swing-and-miss in his game to be a regular. He’s a .210/.290/.358 hitter with 17 homers and a 29% strikeout rate in 643 career plate appearances. Schneemann has a full slate of minor league options and could therefore be the first one sent down if/when the Guardians bring up a higher-upside player from the minor leagues.
The Prospects
Guards fans have eagerly awaited the arrival of second baseman Travis Bazzana since the club announced his selection with the top pick in the ’24 draft. It has become increasingly common for top college draftees to get to the big leagues before the end of their first full professional season. Bazzana didn’t move that quickly, at least in part because of recurring oblique issues. The Oregon State product had decent numbers between the top two minor league levels (.245/.389/.424 including seven rehab games in the Complex League), but he was limited to 84 games by a pair of IL stints.
Bazzana will be one of the most important players to watch in Spring Training. He remains one of the better offensive talents in the minors. He has 26 games of Triple-A experience. The Guardians could justify sending him back there to begin the season but should leave the door open to him breaking camp. Bazzana’s minor league approach probably tipped over the line from patient to passive, leading both to a ton of walks (17.6%) and a decent amount of strikeouts (24.3%). He’s not a finished product, but there’s a good chance he’s already a better hitter than Arias or Schneemann would be.
Vogt said at the Winter Meetings that Rocchio would get a lot of shortstop work during Spring Training (link via Zack Meisel of The Athletic). That’d leave the door open for Bazzana at second with Arias and/or Schneemann in a utility role. It also magnifies camp’s importance for 24-year-old second base prospect Juan Brito.
Brito has held a spot on the 40-man roster for three years but has yet to make his MLB debut. He would have gotten that opportunity last year but for thumb and hamstring injuries that both required surgery. He was limited to 24 Triple-A contests. The Guardians were granted a fourth option year, so they’re not forced to carry Brito on the MLB roster.
If they give the Opening Day second base job to Bazzana, Brito probably needs an injury or the more highly-regarded prospect to struggle in order to find his way into the lineup. He’s not a great athlete and unlikely to be all that effective as a multi-positional defender. Yet Brito has hit throughout his career, posting an OPS above .800 at every stop. That includes a .255/.366/.442 mark across nearly 800 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of three seasons. That’s an appealing profile for a lineup that had far too many wasted at-bats.
Shortstop prospect Angel Genao is the only other middle infielder on the 40-man roster. He’s a 21-year-old who has yet to play a Triple-A game. Genao is coming off a solid but unspectacular .259/.323/.359 showing over 77 Double-A contests. Scouting reports peg him as a potential everyday player, but he remains a work in progress on both sides of the ball. While he’ll hopefully be an upgrade over Rocchio and Arias down the line, there’s little to no chance that he’s on the Opening Day roster. A second half debut is plausible but not guaranteed.
It would be so funny if they randomly signed Bo Bichette out of knowhere
Yeah doubt that lol 😂. It would be so funny. Unrealistic, but funny.
Cleveland is consistently, year in and year out in the bottom three in the league in spending. Not only would Cleveland ever even dream of making such a move but you suggesting such a thing just could not go unresponded
I doubt Bo signs but considering their trade history with the Blue Jays I could see them trading for Davis Schneider to platoon at second and maybe some LF. Schneider doesn’t really have a spot in Toronto and he is only 26 years old.
Straight up for logan allen.
I’m gonna say they play someone at 2b and SS. That’s how it’ll play out
With balls & gloves.
Almost every game should have those positions played by people.
Bold. I like it, but bold.
Genao is going to be a stud. Keep sleeping on him
They should trade Arias to the Pirates. Maybe Endy Rodriguez goes back to Cleveland.
Arias would be a great buy-low opportunity for a team like the Pirates. He probably will not make enough contact to be a regular but he will not cost much.
He’s at least a legitimate defender at SS. He’s also likely to hit as much as Triolo or Nick Gonzalez. The Pirates plan to lean on their pitching staff to carry them. Supporting their pitchers with a capable SS should be a bigger priority than they have made it so far.
Don, as a longtime Arias watcher I can only say cease and desist with that plan and hope your Pirates hop to it with Konnor Griffin cuz even with just a cursory glance at AA pitching he’s a far far better option than big whiffer Gabriel Arias. Order up a Jackson Chourio 8 year intro to MLB contract for some on the job training. I love watching kids like him starting out early.
Arias is a talented defender, that I’ll say but when you have somebody as good as what you have so close to the mark, why dither around?
And that is pretty much his floor. A solid defender at multiple positions with a cannon arm. Potentially a nice bench piece.
I’m not a Pirates fan, but I have no doubt Griffin will be a superior player to Arias. But this is the Pirates. They will wait until they are absolutely sure Griffin is ready before they allow his clock to start. They will not pay him to develop in the big leagues.
Secondly, they seem to think this is their year to go for it so having Arias on hand just in case Griffin isn’t ready is worth it. Moving on from Arias wouldn’t be difficult but he also might be a better utility option than Triolo or Gonzalez.
Konnor Griffin will (should) be called up by Father’s day (if injuries don’t pop up). He won’t be a finished product but he (most likely) will put up better #’s than the other options mentioned.
Again I don’t doubt Griffin’s ability to outplay the other options, I just think there are other factors to consider.
Paul Skenes would have been the Pirates best pitcher right out of Spring Training in ’24. But he didn’t make the team out of Spring Training because the Pirates don’t want to start paying major league salaries one day sooner than they have to.
Is it ridiculous? Yes
Is it still true? Also yes.
They left Skenes down long enough to get an extra year of control via service time manipulation and just maybe avoid Super 2 (but probably not). But he went and won ROY anyway and earned a full year of service time anyway. Hilarious! And exactly what Bob Nutting deserves. 🤣
This guy here is dead!
Cross him off then!
Man, seeing this ragtag lineup of schlubs other than Ramirez and Kwan make the playoffs is why I have so much optimism for the Pirates to do the same. I feel like they needed help in the outfield ever since Grady Sizemore left. It’s a damn shame they keep trying out misfits and glove first prospects all over the infield who flop instead of going out and getting 1-2 decent bats. Ownership is borderline criminal.
the division sucks, so, always a chance
It amazes me how Cleveland gets to and wins in the playoffs with owners that do nothing and go quiet to hide from the media
They’ve always been able to develop star players like j-ram and Lindor
They need a vat every year. Austin Hays would raise their ceiling without costing much if DeLauter is going to play CF.
Bluh
Maybe Bazzana will start the year on the MLB roster so they have a chance at getting an extra draft slot if he plays well? Other than that it’s like picking names out of a hat
Bazzana has an .800 ops in the minor leagues. That’s not the savior they think he is
Most likely as cheap as possible.
I think CLE is waiting on the Phillies to release Nick Castellanos.
They have a bunch of guys that are good at turning double plays and Bazzana.
If Bazzana starts the year in AAA, I would like to see Juan Brito get a shot at 2B/OF.
Dream on. If you have been a Cleveland fan for any length of time, you know better than that. Should
Bazzana get a long look with a realistic chance to break Spring Traininv as the starting 2B? Yes. Should Brito get an opportunity to do the same or at the very least make the ball club regardless? Yes. Will it happen? Not very likely. Why? Because that’s who Cleveland is! Plus they seem to really like Arias & Rocchio for what they bring defensively. Schneeman is just an extra utility player. So more of the same. So Bazzana goes to Triple A to meander for awhile and hope he doesn’t get hurt. Brito is an afterthought for them, for some reason. I’m sure the Rays who need a 2nd baseman will swoop in and trade for Brito for cash considerations. They’ve done well in Cleveland trades- Yandy then Caninero.
Starting Bazzana in the majors simply because he is better than what they have currently would be foolish. Do they want more of the same? Let him start in the minors, show he can stay healthy, and continue to develop. Rushing him won’t do anything but use up options.
Cleveland had the worst timing luck in 2025 among these anticipated prospects. Brito started hot, had an ops over .900 and hit a couple HRs before attempting a steal of 3B and injuring hid thumb. After shrugging off his ST injury Delauter really got going in late June but then pulled a muscle. Likewise Bazzana, he was IL player of the week in mid September, hit 4 HR in 2-3 games, had an ops that month of 1.143 or thereabouts, then he too had a flack attack — too bad as Arias was striking out more and more. These three guys I think will improve this offense quite a bit.
The FO obviously thinks so, thus the lack of moves. I just hope they don’t wait too long. Each of them could start from day one. I think I might trade Kwan now since this is essentially a rebuilding scheme and use LF as a landing spot for Brito, Valera, Jones, etc. Vogt managed to win back to back div titles with offenses worse than what we’re looking at now so who knows.
Trading Kwan from a team that has one of the worst offenses in the game would be front office malpractice. There is no “rebuilding scheme” going on…the team has won two consecutive division titles (three of the last four despite having one of the youngest teams in the game) and has a solid rotation and bullpen. That’s not “rebuilding,” that’s waiting for some of their young hitters to mature into league average players (at worst). That’s a team poised to be better, not taking a step back.
Then I guess trading Josh Naylor, not to mention Andres Gimenez, post ALCS loss last year was also tantamount to FO malpractice as are every other trade the Rays make. It’s how teams like ours manage to exist. A Kwan trade is inevitable, he’s already making 8 million, they won’t let it go any higher and the one thing the Guardians have in super abundance are LHHs. They paid Nolan Jones 2 million for some odd reason, Valera is also out of options, there’s Delauter if he shows up healthy of course, SH Juan Brito and even CJ Kayfus grades out close to Kwan in offensive potency. Of course Kwan is a wizard in LF but by not having ever played him in CF it makes it easier to line up possible replacements.
I don’t want to lose Kwan but given how we’re situated platoon wise we could really use a good RHH CF and we can’t afford both. I don’t know what you call it when a team refuses to spend, to use FA and grows everything from within but some call it rebuilding, (or a state of perpetual makeover) I imagine MLB.com does too since this is the second year in a row they’ve given us a preseason power rank near the mid 20’s. I’d rather we added one more big bat but still it’s kinda fun this way, nobody expects us sneaking up on them. Besides one thing I cannot stand to see is not giving suitable prospects suitable opportunities.
And you actually listen to MLB.com’s appraisal of the team? Really? How many years does Cleveland have to exceed expectations before you start to catch on?
No one is saying that Kwan is untouchable. Everyone knows he’s not signing an extension. But anyone with half a brain knows–including Cleveland–that a healthy Kwan in an ABS-challenge environment (no one gets more balls called strikes than he does, and it’s not even close) is one of the biggest bargains in the game at less than $8 million.
Cleveland is a clear contender in the AL Central regardless of what you or MLB or other national pundits think. If Cleveland didn’t deal Kwan at the deadline with the team nine games out, why would they deal him now with his value depressed by his injury-riddled second half and coming off another division title?
This is not a Josh Naylor situation where there was only ONE year left of control, the team was in dire need of starting pitching depth, and had plenty of first base options. (And please, no comparisons to Andres Gimenez, good god. It was a miracle Cleveland found a team clueless enough to take that contract.)
We all know how Cleveland operates, and it’s by being smart. Trading Kwan at this juncture isn’t only not smart, it’s being the opposite.
Just as dumb as 1) thinking Kwan could ever be a CF–Cleveland has always known taking a Gold Glove LF and making him a mediocre CF made no sense–and 2) thinking there is this mythical RHH centerfielder out there available to us. Fans need to understand that CF archetypes don’t exist like they used to (if they ever did). The number of full-time CF in the league who can play league average defense and hit at a league average level can be counted on one hand. It’s almost as difficult as finding platoon bats who can perform at that level, particularly those who hit RH. And please, no Harrison Bader. He had his BABIP-fueled career year, Cleveland shouldn’t even consider him at the price he’s seeking.
I’d love to find a RHH Jimmy Edmonds or Devon White…but they don’t exist. Cleveland has to deal with realities, not fantasies.
yeah at a glance things look much worse than they are if you didn’t closely follow the upper minors. all 3 of Brito, DeLauter and Bazzana would likely have made their debut last season if not for injuries, and of the 3 DeLauter is the only one with a track record of injuries at any level. putting too much stock in rookies isn’t ideal but the lineup should look drastically different from the end of 2025 by May. This shouldn’t stop them from adding in trade or free agency, especially being $30m below last season’s payroll, but those 3 players along with Cooper Ingle and potentially Ralphy Velasquez if he continues his 2nd half tear all seem like genuine difference makers in their lineup by the end of the season.
These guys stink.
Anyone who thinks that the Pirates’ Triolo and Gonzalez are bad haven’t seen Arias at the plate. He doesn’t know a ball from a strike, and can’t make contact when the pitch is in the zone. On the few occasions he does make contact, he beats the ball into the ground. The only reason he is still on the Guardians roster is that he is the only viable shortstop, outside of Rocchio.
Rocchio, a GG finalist at short in 2024, will be the shortstop.
Arias does have one major tool, maybe the strongest arm in MLB.
A lot of Cleveland fans seem to think that the Guardians are gonna have five rookies in the lineup….Bazzana, Brito, Valera, Delauter, and Kayfus.
Ain’t gonna happen.
Brito is going to be pretty good.
Obscure questions on a Monday, coming up next. Who will be the backup long snapper on the Titans?
The Guards are going to ride their pitching. The hitting might be as bad as last year, might not. The FO knows that they’re not suddenly going to become the ’27 Yankees. They believe they can win the division with poor hitting, as long as their pitching holds up.
Rather than asking if their hitting can be improved, ask yourself if their pitching will improve. The auguries there are positive at the moment.
Cleveland operates under the assumption of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. It starts at the top.
The owners cry their poor. But they see division titles still thru frugality. With an impending work stoppage most likely before next year, they are not going to put a bunch of multiyear contracts on the books. They’ll probably be pissed they have to pay Ramirez during a stoppage.
The front office goes by whatever the budget that has been dictated by the owners which seems to basically be a rollover from the year prior.
The manager can only put on the field the players they keep on the active roster. So Vogt uses all of his resources daily to determine who will give him the best opportunity to win a ballgame.
Therefore, like it or not as a fan, more of the same. Guardians fans are not the same as other teams that get to see their teams sign actual major league free agents in the offseason and have high hopes for the next year. G’s fans have to cheer on a wing & a prayer that Vogt & Willis continue to be geniuses..
@O1Scamp
Players don’t get paid when they’re on strike, c’mon. Where does that nonsense come from?
You’re right about that. My bad.
“That’s clearly an area for upgrade as the 2024 first overall pick gets closer to making his debut. “.
Did I miss something?
Can you imagine how much more legendary Fransisco Lindor would be if he hadn’t been “developed” by Cleveland. A-Rod but a Switch Hitter. If only….
Even as a fan of a team who spends I find the discrepancy in payroll between teams in this league is outrageous. It is amazing to me some markets have anyone willing to spend money to attend games.
@WillDS
You know what’s “outrageous”? Falling for the Big Lie that your team “spends.” Spun by embarrassed big markets who are often outplayed by the low revenue teams in the league, they fool fans like you into thinking their teams are “virtuous” with their spending and low revenue teams are run by greedy owners who just pocket profits.
What a load of crap.
Just stop and think for once: there are ENORMOUS costs associated with a major league baseball organization, particularly if you are dedicated to excellence, as Cleveland, Tampa, and Milwaukee are. You can’t cut corners in development, you have to spend every bit as much on the nuts and bolts of building a quality team as New York or Boston or Chicago or Los Angeles do.
But guess what? After you spend the same on the fixed cost of running a top notch organization–including maintaining salaries of competent personnel so they don’t all go running off elsewhere–there is naturally FAR less left over for the discretionary spending you take for granted, such as additions to major league payroll.
Here’s the thing: the “Big Lie” is that New York or LA or Boston spend a greater % of their revenue on baseball operations than CLE or Tampa or Milwaukee do. That’s nonsense. All owners in baseball more or less spend within their revenues and and budget accordingly, INCLUDING taking home whatever slice of profits they allocate to the ownership group. If you actually believe the Yankees or Dodgers or Red Sox owners aren’t wallowing in profits at the same % level–if not at a FAR greater level in actual terms–than the low revenue markets are, you need to wake up.
You know what’s amazing? Not that fans of small markets attend games, many of us enjoy the challenge from and satisfaction derived from beating the big boys as often as we do, no, the real miracle is that fans like you from the big markets derive so much satisfaction from beating teams like ours in a rigged game. How in the world do you actually delude yourself into thinking you accomplished something?
the FO includes run prevention as a metric to determine a player’s overall value as they try to improve on team run differential. that’s a part of arias’ value fans who only care about offense don’t appreciate. part of the reason they took a chance on nolan jones was that he had *19* assists in 2023 and 8 last season. and despite his overall slash line, arias hit .315 .387 .551 .937 with RISP last season.