With twenty games left in Spring Training, it’s looking like the Guardians are going to be pushed to put their money where their mouths have been when it comes to not blocking young players.
All offseason, President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, and General Manager, Mike Chernoff, have been clear about the plan to fix the Guardians’ hitting woes of 2025 without spending a dime in major league free agency in the attempt to do so:
“As we looked at a lot of the external the possibility of external additions,
one of the questions we continually have to ask ourselves is, ‘whose opportunity does this impede’”? – Chris Antonetti, 1/23/2026.
“We need to get better offensively. …we believe that growth and development can come from the guys we have in the organization.“ – Antonetti, 1/30/2026
“One of our key goals was not to impede players with the most upside (from playing in Cleveland). We saw a glimpse of what Chase DeLauter could do in the playoffs. George Valera and C.J. Kayfus also showed up pretty well at the end of the season.” – Chernoff, 1/30/2026
Right now, projected to be on the Opening Day Guardians’ roster, there are two players who have over 1,000 plate appearances who are blocking younger players with less experience, eager to prove themselves as more valuable major leaguers: Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias.
I am not writing this post to criticize the Cleveland front office for believing in Jones and Arias and for giving them their fair shot. Two years ago, I believed Arias had shown enough to get his fair chance, and last spring, I agreed with the idea of bringing Jones on board in a weak outfield group to see if he could regain his 2023 form at the plate. However, over the past two seasons Jones has now put up a 71 wRC+ in 700 plate appearances and Arias has put up a 75 wRC+ in 634 plate appearances. Jones will turn 28 years old this season and Arias just turned 26 years old; neither is likely to experience a breakout at this point in their major league careers.
In Arias’s case, replacing him involves putting Brayan Rocchio at shortstop. Rocchio is 10 and half months younger than Arias, has 100+ fewer plate appearances. He also finished 2024 with a league average 100 wRC+, while Arias finished with a 65 wRC+. There is still some slim hope remaining that Rocchio can be a league average bat – hope that no longer exists for Arias. So, the team needs to give Rocchio the reigns at shortstop and let him sink or swim, while also letting star prospect Angel Genao develop at short in Akron and, soon, Columbus. Most importantly, however, moving on from Arias with a designating for assignment, will allow the team to let Juan Brito try his hand as a full-time second baseman while the team allows Travis Bazzana to heat up at Columbus. Both Brito and Bazzana offer FAR more potential as hitters than either Arias or Rocchio and need to be featured in the Guardians’ lineup in 2026 as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Daniel Schneemann offers a perfect utility bat, capable of playing any position except catcher, and not someone who needs to be given regular plate appearances (ahem, PLEASE catch that last part, Manager Stephen Vogt). Additionally, should an injury take place with Rocchio, Milan Tolentino is having an excellent Spring Training, has an exceptional glove at shortstop, and should be capable of providing something similar to Arias’s career 76 wRC+ at the plate if called upon in a pinch. Arias is not needed on this team; while right-handed, he has a career 50 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. He also looked horrendous when asked to play outfield in the past, so he isn’t as good of an option as Schneemann in the super utility role.
As for Jones, bringing him back as an option in centerfield made sense this offseason, but spring training is making clear that keeping him as that depth is not a priority. Both Kahlil Watson and Petey Halpin have looked very good at the plate and in the field in center. It’s one week of Spring Training, so, please, don’t think I am saying either will be good major league players. However, neither has to be good to surpass average (at best!) defense in center and a 71 wRC+ at the plate provided by Jones these past two seasons. With Steven Kwan gamely taking on the challenge of center field, DFA’ing Jones allows the team to get good, solid looks at George Valera and Chase DeLauter, as well as allowing CJ Kayfus to work on his corner outfield skills in Columbus should either of the above players get hurt. If Jones were capable of hitting left-handed pitching, he’d be a roster shoo-in, but give me Stuart Fairchild and his potential for above-average centerfield play and career 106 wRC+ vs. LHP over Jones’s fielding and career 76 wRC+ against southpaws in the fourth outfielder role.
Finally, with the Guardians’ committed to Jones for $2 million for 2026, designating him for assignment makes it likely no team will claim him. Since Jones is short of five years of major league service time, Cleveland can option him to Columbus when he likely clears waivers and mix him into all three outfield positions there, hanging on to him for needed outfield depth. In effect, they will gain an option on a player who has potential to be a league average bat against RHP and a playable fielder in center. That’s worth retaining… but not at the expense of a roster and lineup spot needed to give exciting, young players like Valera and DeLauter a real chance at establishing themselves.
If the Guardians start the season – as I expect they will – with Jones and Arias on the roster, I will be disappointed. I know, I know… it’ll probably just be for the month of April, but April games count just as much as September games. The reps that players like Brito, Bazzana, Valera and DeLauter could get in April can help them work out early struggles to be prepared for summer success. Nothing against Jones and Arias, personally, as both seem like good dudes, but we need to be clear-eyed about what is best for this team. Giving further opportunities to two players who are extremely unlikely to be above-average major league contributors would be a mistake, given the strategy that Cleveland has espoused publicly all offseason.
