Cleveland’s budget constraints mean they will never accomplish much through free agency. It’s unlikely they often package top prospects for big trade chips. The Guardians should make a smaller move or two in the second half of the offseason. They started last season with a payroll of $103 million, and Grid source calculates their ’26 liabilities at around $78 million. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote this weekend as part of a reader mailbag that he expected some kind of lineup takeover for a short-term deal. Adding an additional right-handed fielding bat would make sense Avenue Thomas leaving via free agency.
That said, the majority of needed offensive improvements will have to come internally. That’s especially true in the middle infield, where viable options for free agents are limited. Cleveland middle infielders combined for a .225/.289/.359 slash line with a 27.6% strikeout rate that was 29th in the MLB (marginally better than the Angels’ 27.8% mark). That’s clearly an area that needs upgrading as the 2024 first-round pick moves closer to his debut. How will things turn out?
The incumbents
Of the five players who registered some center infield action for Stephen Vogt’s club last year Will Wilson is not on the list. Last year’s middle infield usually included a three-player rotation: Gabriel Arias usually at short stop, Daniel Snowman in a multi-position role with a lot of second-line work, and Brayan Rocchio bounce between the middle spots.
Angel Martinez also started 25 games at second base, but was used more often in center field. The Guardians could push him into a good role again this year depending on their performance on the field. Chase DeLauter made the ALDS roster and should be ticketed for his regular-season MLB debut on opening day. They could add a midfielder in free agency. Harrison Bader would be a great fit, but may be out of their price range. Even if that’s the case, take a buy-low flyer Chas McCormick as a fourth outfielder makes sense.
None of Arias, Rocchio, Schneemann or Martínez contributed much offensively. Measured by wRC+, they were all between 21 and 26 points below the league average. Rocchio led the pack with a sub-par .233 batting average and a .290 on-base percentage. He hit five home runs in 115 games. Schneemann, Martínez and Arias each had 11 or 12 longballs.
The seasonal trend lines were most favorable for Rocchio. He was at least within league average range in the second half, hitting .257/.313/.376 over his last 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, although Vogt quickly scored for Arias and used Schneemann off the bench.
Rocchio is probably in the strongest position of the group, yet he remains a .222/.293/.327 hitter in over 900 career plate appearances. He turns 25 tomorrow and is out of minor league options. He will break camp, but shouldn’t be a lock to stay on the roster all season if he doesn’t deliver on the promise in the second half. Public grades are mixed on his defense, leaving him high in 2024 but looking less favorable for last year’s work.
Arias, 26 in February, has also been ruled out. He has tremendous physical tools: plus bat speed and brute strength, a sturdy glove and an excellent arm. This is undermined by an unsustainable approach. Arias chases countless pitches off the plate and gets beat inside the strike zone too often. He had the fourth highest strikeout rate among batters with more than 300 plate appearances. No one missed more times per pitch. Other than occasionally meeting a fastball for a home run, he won’t draw any strikes.
Schneemann is a utility player who will celebrate his 29th birthday in a few weeks. He’ll draw some walks and hit a few home runs against right-handed pitchers, but there’s also too much swing-and-miss in his game to be a regular player. He is a .210/.290/.358 hitter with 17 home runs and a 29% strikeout rate in 643 career plate appearances. Schneemann has a slew of minor league options and therefore could be the first to be sent down if/when the Guardians bring in a player with higher upside from the minor leagues.
The prospects
Guards fans have been eagerly awaiting the second baseman’s arrival Travis Bazzana since the club announced its selection with the top pick in the ’24 draft. It has become increasingly common for top prospects to head to the major leagues before the end of their first full professional season. Bazzana didn’t move as 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 during 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 there to start the season, but should leave the door open for him to break camp. Bazzana’s minor league approach probably tipped the scales from patient to passive, leading to both a ton of walks (17.6%) and a decent number of strikeouts (24.3%). He’s not a finished product yet, 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 would leave the door open for Bazzana at second with Arias and/or Schneemann in a utility role. It also increases the importance of the camp for the 24-year-old second baseman Juan Brito.
Brito has been 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 due to thumb and hamstring injuries that both required surgery. He was limited to 24 Triple-A games. The Guardians were given a fourth option year, so they are not forced to place Brito on the MLB roster.
If they give the second base job to Bazzana on opening day, Brito will likely need an injury or the higher-rated prospect will have to struggle to find his way into the lineup. He’s not a great athlete and is unlikely to be as effective as a multi-positional defender. Still, Brito has had success throughout his career, posting an OPS above .800 at every stop. That includes hitting .255/.366/.442 over nearly 800 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of three seasons. That’s an attractive profile for a lineup with 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 hasn’t played a Triple-A game yet. Genao is coming off a solid but unspectacular .259/.323/.359, showing over 77 Double-A games. Scouting reports have him as a potential everyday player, but he remains a work in progress on both sides of the ball. While he will hopefully be an upgrade over Rocchio and Arias in the future, there is little to no chance he makes the Opening Day roster. A debut in the second half is plausible, but not guaranteed.
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