As I continue to ponder the 2026 season and what the Guardians might do this offseason, I think the biggest question for me remains “Who will be patrolling centerfield on Opening Day”?
Centerfield was the second biggest problem spot for the Guardians in 2025. Their centerfielders put up 60 wRC+ and -1.3 fWAR. Right field was slightly worse, with Guardians’ right fielders putting up -1.6 fWAR and a 69 wRC+. However, I do think Cleveland fans can be cautiously optimistic about right field in 2026; the team
has three young hitters capable of playing right field in Chase DeLauter, George Valera and C.J. Kayfus. Surely, one of them will be healthy and able to take the lionshare of at-bats out there. David Fry and even Jhonkensy Noel could help vs. LHP in right, or maybe a lefty-masher free agent like Miguel Andujar or Austin Hays. But, the answers for centerfield are not as clear. Let’s take a look at internal and, finally, external options:
Internal Options:
1. Chase DeLauter – DeLauter starting two games in centerfield in the playoffs certainly makes him seem like a potential answer here. And, perhaps he is! There is, of course, one major red flag associated with DeLauter here – he has been quite injury prone as a professional. When a player is in centerfield, they get more out chances than any other outfield position, they have to cover more ground than other outfield positions, and they, by consequence, have to do more starting and stopping than other outfield positions. Are the Guardians really planning to give DeLauter 120 starts in centerfield (I refuse to believe they reasonably expect him to be able to do more than that)? Or, is DeLauter being penciled in here only in case the Guardians do not find another option that would allow DeLauter to switch over to right field where he has spent most of his time in the minor leagues? If healthy, I think there is little doubt DeLauter will be a good major league hitter and an average defender in center… it’s just a question of if he can stay healthy while playing out there.
2. Angel Martinez – Martinez was Cleveland’s primary centerfielder against left-handed pitchers in 2025 and he put up a 123 wRC+ against lefties, but he had -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -4 Outs Above Average there. That’s… bad. He also had a .327 BABIP against LHP… so he may have been a little more lucky than dominant there. I think a big question is if the only 23 year-old Martinez can get better in centerfield after another offseason working there or not. If there is reasonable hope that he can improve to an average fielder there, then, maybe he could be a guy to share time with DeLauter in center, giving him a break against LHP (not because DeLauter needs platooned but because we should probably expect some significant load management).
3. Nolan Jones – Jones had -2 DRS and 0 OAA in around 200 innings in center. So, that’s kind of an average defender? If you’re betting on Jones getting more results from his solid batted ball data… he is a player you could squint at and see as a 100 wRC+, average defender there. But, I am sure there isn’t one person reading this who is hoping that Jones in centerfield is the Guardians’ primary plan for the position in 2026. It shouldn’t be.
4. Petey Halpin – Halpin is probably the best defender in center in the organization but he put up only a 95 wRC+ in Columbus… so… that’s not really a player you can count on as a player to get starting reps, unless he takes a leap in 2026.
5. Daniel Schneemann – Schneemann put up 3 DRS and -1 OAA in 134 innings in centerfield. His 79 wRC+ isn’t good enough to start there, but it’s a great bonus that he is capable of playing almost anywhere on the diamond at an average to above average rate as a defender.
6. Kahlil Watson – Watson is, obviously, not going to be the Opening Day centerfielder. However, he was transitioned to centerfield by the Guardians in 2025 and put up a 129 wRC+ between Akron and Columbus with a 27.7/11.7 K/BB%, a 48.1% hard-hit rate and an average exit velo of 91.1 mph. That 16.6% swinging strike rate, 33% chase rate, and 80% zone contact rate, however, leave some significant doubts about how his hitting will translate to the bigs. He’s a very nice player to have around and hope for him to force his way on to the big league roster (or to offer as part of a trade package), but he shouldn’t be viewed as an immediate answer.
External Options:
Free Agents: Harrison Bader, Lane Thomas and Austin Slater
Analysis: I did not have the heart to list Cody Bellinger as an option here, as he is definitely going to get more money than the Guardians will pay. Bader is so clearly the best, pure centerfielder available in free agency that I am quite sure the Guardians will be priced out of his market. I am not sure that a healthy Thomas or Slater are centerfielders, but they are at least people one could trot out there and hope for the best, while being reasonably confident either will hit left-handed pitching. I don’t think Austin Hays is playable in centerfield, unfortunately, so I didn’t list him here (they could still target him as a LF/RF option). Of this bunch, I think Thomas is probably the most likely fit, given his public expression of a desire to return to Cleveland… but it’s impossible to count on him for anything good given how poorly his 2025 went.
Trade Targets: Luis Robert, Brandon Marsh, Jake Meyers, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Lars Nootbaar.
Analysis: All of these players have been rumored to be available in trades and there are some interesting targets here. I am confident the Guardians could have Robert without giving up a top 10 organizational prospect if they are willing to take on most of his $20M salary and give a couple decent prospects in the 11-20 range for him. I like the idea, but I’m not sure they would go for it at that price tag. Marsh may not be a centerfielder anymore and is purely a strongside platoon bat on a rental basis. Meyers is probably the most reasonably available bat on this list, who is an elite defender with a 110 wRC+ against LHP in his career. He would fit perfectly on the Guardians to supplant Angel Martinez in that role, but he’s not adding a lot of slugging, for what that’s worth. I’m not sure if the Red Sox will trade either Duran or Abreu, but, if they do, either would solve a huge need for the Guardians and be the best hitters available in this category… and, so, either would cost a LOT in a return. The Guardians COULD do that, but I’m not sure they would. Nootbaar is kinda like Nolan Jones in that his underlying numbers make it look like he’s headed for a breakout and he is, at best, average in center, while having health issues. He probably duplicates too much of what the Guardians already have, much to my dismay as a Nootbaar appreciator.
Note: Until the Guardians say otherwise, I will assume they do not view Steven Kwan as a potential centerfield option. Why not, if they will play the also injury-prone DeLauter there? I really don’t know, except that Kwan is clearly the best defender in left ij all of baseball.
Bottom Line: To be honest, I think I would be fine if the Guardians told me they were going to make a big push to get a true middle of the order bat like Yandy Diaz or Willson Contreras to then let DeLauter and Martinez handle centerfield in 2026, with Schneemann, Halpin, Jones and Watson as depth. But, I would feel SO much better if they could find a way to land Jake Meyers or Luis Robert and let DeLauter either be set for heavy load management reps in center or head to right field entirely, while Angel Martinez would go back to working on infield spots and taking walks in Columbus. I guess I expect that the Guardians WILL add a right-handed hitting outfielder, but I suspect it ends up being Slater or Thomas, and we’ll be hoping for a burst of health and dead-cat bounce for their bats in 2026 as far as their helping DeLauter man centerfield is concerned.
