CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Phillies signed Adolis Garcia to a one-year, $10 million contract and the Royals inked Lane Thomas to their own $5.25 million deal, many Cleveland fans wondered why the Guardians — a team that could use more offensive firepower — weren’t more aggressive in pursuing either outfielder.
The answer, as cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter Paul Hoynes revealed on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, has nothing to do with money and everything to do with Cleveland’s core team philosophy.
“From what I’ve heard from their conversations, the Guardians conversations with Garcia and Thomas, they were told that both guys wanted regular playing time,” Hoynes explained. “In the Guardians lineup, the regular playing time is reserved for about two or three guys”: José Ramírez, Stephen Kwan and, and probably Gabriel Arias at shortstop. Everybody else is kind of shifting around. They’re on that platoon merry go round.”
This hesitancy to guarantee everyday at-bats to free agents isn’t just about maintaining flexibility. It’s about preserving opportunities for the wave of young outfielders Cleveland has spent years developing.
When podcast host Joe Noga suggested that signing either player would impact prospects like Chase DeLauter and George Valera, Hoynes emphatically agreed.
“How many right fielders can Cleveland have? I mean, C.J. Kayfus, Jhonkensy Noel, Johnathan Rodríguez, Valera, and DeLauter. Those guys are all potential right fielders,” Hoynes said.
This crowded outfield situation reveals a fundamental truth about the Guardians organization: They value their development pipeline too much to block it with external signings, even ones that might provide immediate offensive upgrades.
Looking at the depth chart heading into 2026, Cleveland seems committed to giving their prospects every opportunity to claim jobs. In center field, DeLauter and Angel Martínez appear to be the frontrunners, with Petey Halpin also in the mix. Right field presents even more options with Valera, Rodríguez, Noel, and others all vying for at-bats.
“You’ve got Valera. We haven’t seen a whole lot of him, defensively. We both have liked the way he swung the bat in a small timeframe,” Hoynes said when breaking down the right field depth chart. “If Rodriguez hits, I can live with him out in right field. But he’s got to hit a little more than he has as we’ve seen.”
The question now becomes: Which of these young outfielders will seize the opportunity? With Steven Kwan firmly entrenched in left field, center and right field represent the battlegrounds where Cleveland’s prospects must prove they belong in the major leagues.
By passing on established veterans like Garcia and Thomas, the Guardians have made their intentions clear. They’re betting on their player development system over quick-fix free agent solutions.
For fans hoping to see the next Steven Kwan emerge from the system, the 2026 season will be fascinating to watch. Will DeLauter, Valera, or another prospect establish themselves as everyday players? Or will the Guardians’ commitment to their youth movement leave them searching for more offensive firepower at the trade deadline?
One thing’s certain — when the Guardians open spring training, the competition for outfield playing time will be fierce, just the way the front office wants it.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, not a lot going on in terms of free agency, in terms of trade rumors for the Guardians, the hot stove has sort of cooled off a little bit here after the winter meetings. Other teams continue to make moves and the top of the free agency sort of pool is starting to thin out a little bit with names. But, you know, a couple of guys signing here and there, not really moving the needle all that much. We’re still waiting to see on guys like Alex Bregman where he’s going to land and, you know, some of the top free agent arms that are out there remaining. And we still have to answer the question of whether or not a guy like a Tarek Skubal is going to be traded. But the closer we get to, to Christmas, the closer we get to the holidays here, it looks like maybe things be slowed down for a little bit, for a little bit of a period. So, you know, we have to, to come up with some, some ideas here. One of the big things, obviously, with the earlier over the weekend, the signing of Adoles Garcia by Philadelphia to a one year, $10 million contract. We saw Lane Thomas also sign over the weekend with Kansas City two guys who might have been options for Cleveland to, to sort of add something to their lineup, some protection for Jose Ramirez, some pop to their lineup. But you know, as far as whether or not the Guardians looked in on, on either of those guys, you know, what were you hearing and what was, you know, what were some of the reasons why maybe they went in a different direction.
Paul Hoynes: Joy, I heard they were, you know, he had some interest in both guys. Of course they know Lane Thomas of a lot more than Garcia, having had him on the roster for the last year and a half. I think Joe, from, from their converse, from what I’ve heard from their conversations, the Guardians conversations with Garcia and Thomas, they were told that both guys wanted regular playing time. And as you know and I know in the Guardians lineup, the regular playing time is only reserved for about two or three guys on this Jose Ramirez, Stephen Kwan and, and probably Gabriel Arias at shortstop. Everybody else is kind of shifting around. They’re on that platoon merry go round and I, I think that was one of the reasons they couldn’t get a deal done with either Garcia or Thomas.
Joe Noga: Yeah, maybe Kyle Manzardo will be sort of guaranteed maybe a spot in the lineup, but not necessarily time on the field per se, but they have said that they want to give him time at first base as well. As far as what the outfield presents itself with, you know, qu. Obviously in left field every day, leadoff, you know, his. His spot is sort of written in ink on the lineup card. Center field and right field are what you’re talking about. And I don’t think, you know, Thomas. Thomas has some experience in center field. Played center field quite a bit, actually, last season when he was healthy. Garcia, I don’t think fits in center. I think he’s only a corner outfielder, right?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, yeah, he’s a right fielder, Joe. He won a Gold Glove there a couple years ago for the Rangers.
Joe Noga: So that being the case, you’d be taking at bats and playing time away from potentially guys like Chase the Lauder, George Valera. This tells me more that those are the. Those are the names and those are the guys that we’re going to see out there in right field. Maybe early in the season.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely, Joe. I mean, how many right fielders can Cleveland have? I mean, CJ Kafis, you’ve, you know.
Joe Noga: You’Ve got, you know, John Kenzie Noel.
Paul Hoynes: John Kenzie Noel, you know, Jonathan Rodriguez, Valera, and as you said, Chase Delauder, you know, those guys are all, you know, potential right fielders. And, you know, dilauto, you know, can play center field as well. You know, we saw him play center field in the Wild Card series, you know, and you’ve also got Petey helping. You’ve got Angel Martinez. So there’s a lot of outfielders in the mix that, you know, may have influenced the guardians and just how hard they went after these, you know, Garcia.
Joe Noga: And Thomas, what’s in your mind? What’s the depth chart in center? If they had to go in with the guys on the 40 man right now, would it be Martinez or Delawder as their first choice and then helping as the second or third guy?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think, Joe, just the vibe I’m getting, I think we’re going to see a lot of dilauto in spring training and in center field, you know, Angel Martin, Martinez will be out there as well. And Petey Halpin’s probably, you know, kind of running third, you know, coming into.
Joe Noga: Camp and, and in right field, if you, you know, if you had to guess, I would think, you know, experience wise, Noel is the guy that, that has the most at bats. We all know your feelings on, you know, whether or not you want to see Jonathan Rodriguez play defensively in the outfield. That was a. That was an experiment gone wrong multiple times last season, but he did Come up with a big hit or two late in the year in September. What are your thoughts on the depth chart in right field?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, you’ve got Valera. You know, we haven’t seen a whole lot of him, Joe. Defensively, we have to, you know, we, I think we both have liked the way he swung the bat in a, you know, small timeframe. So you’ve got Valera there, you’ve got Rodriguez, and, you know, if Rodriguez hits, Joe, I can live with him out in right field, but he’s got to hit a little more than he has then we’ve seen, you know, big Christmas. You know, you’ve got to like him. You know, you like his arm, you like his ability to move around out in right field, but he’s got to hit as well to, to, you know, get more playing time in right field. So, you know, those are kind of the guys, you know, and you know, Martinez can play out there and Daniel Sneeman can play all over the place. So he’s a guy that we shouldn’t forget about either.
Joe Noga: So by sort of not pursuing Garcia or Thomas and not coming to an agreement with either of them, they’ve kept the Runway clear for all those young guys. You just, you wonder which one of those guys is going to be the one to step up and sort of assert himself in the lineup. Not necessarily defensively in the field, but, you know, somewhere in that lineup to, to provide an impact, to provide some sort of spark behind Jose Ramirez and, and to sort of lengthen that lineup as they’re moving into the regular season because this looks like it’s the group that they’re going to have unless they a make a late addition as a, in terms of a veteran free agent out there, somebody way down the food chain in terms of the potential guys out there. So that’s what we’ll, we’ll keep an eye on as, as far as the, the depth of their bullpen or I’m, I’m sorry, the depth of their outfield options moving into spring training. This, this, the other half of, of their off season plan has been to sort of bolster that bullpen. Overhaul the bullpen. Stephen Vogt talking about how they had three or four arms. They need about eight. They’ve, they’ve gone out and made some additions there. I, you know, they might not be done adding arms, but the guys that they have added have included Connor Brogdon. They signed him early in December. They added Colin Holderman last week, the, the right hander from Pittsburgh and they Picked up a Rule 5 draft signing and Peyton Paulette from the White Sox, who’s, if he makes the club, he has to stay on the roster throughout the regular season. Takes care of three additions there. They’ve lost guys like Colby Allard, Jacob Junas, Zach Kent, Nick Enright and Andrew Walters to injuries. Emmanuel Clase’s situation is very well documented and he, he’s not sort of in the plans at all right now. So, you know, what does that leave the Guardians in terms of where the progress of their bullpen overhaul is right now?
Paul Hoynes: So it’s a, it’s a big overhaul, Joe. I mean, you know, bullpens are volatile. They change from year to year, but you usually have some core pieces that stay the same that keep that tradition going. The Guardians have had a solid bullpen the last two years. 2024 was a historic bullpen. Best ERA in the big leagues. Four guys with ERAs under.
Joe Noga: Under.
Paul Hoynes: So right now, you know, you’ve got some of that foundation is still here. You’ve got Cade Smith at the closer spot. Hu, you know, in a setup job, you know, Tim Heron, if he, you know, has a bounce, if he continues to, you know, he had a kind of struggled last season up and down a couple times, but at the end of the season he looked good. Eric Zabrowski, you know, him and Heron give you another lefty, two lefties. And Festa, Matt Festa did a great job last year after being picked up in the April in a, in a minor league deal with Texas. I believe it was Texas. Yeah. And so you got those guys. You add in Brogdon, Paulette, Holderman, hopefully. So you’ve got to, you know, I think it’s going to take a while for these guys to fit in to find their roles, but at least you’ve got the back end is fairly secure with Smith and Gaddis and Heron and Sabrowski as well.
Joe Noga: And Sobrowski. Yeah, as far as options that are on the 40 man roster, guys will be in spring training. Franco Aliman, Jormun Gomez and maybe if, if they are considering Daniel Espino as a, as a reliever to see if his stuff plays up in relief. But if they’re trying to stretch Espino out and keep him as a starting option, which is what we saw out of them from the Arizona Fall League when he pitched a couple months ago, I, you know, you gotta wonder if that might be a bit more of a, a longer play. So Aliman and Gomez. Gomez off of the 40. Man is Colby Allard even Still an option. His name is still out there in free agency.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I know the Guardians would love to bring him back if they had the opportunity. You know, Allard did everything they asked. He was a spot starter. He was a long guy. He was a short guy. He pitched in leverage situations. I mean, this guy just loved the pitch. And, you know, he really, you know, he really embraced being with the Guardians. I think if they could work a deal out, that would be a great addition. He’d give you maybe a third lefty in the bullpen, so we’ll see how that works, you know, but other than that, Joe, I mean, you know, Franco Ali, man, you know, big kid on a 40 man, hard thrower. He’s had some injuries, you know, that have held him back a little bit. Control problems, but they love his arm. You know, he’s kind of a right now, probably a little bit of a wild card as it is to, you know, making the, you know, helping the Guardians sometime next season in the pen. Espino, like you were saying, Joe, he needs some time. To me, the guy, you know, he. He pitched what, four or five innings in the Arizona Fall League. They were all starts. You know, they kept him on that routine as a starter. But if he’s going to start, Joe, he’s going to have to pitch somewhere, you know, in the, in the complex league or low minors just to get built up again. Maybe his path would be a little quicker as a reliever, but still, I mean, you know, they’ve taken such good care of him. He’s had so many injuries. They really have to be careful with him, I think.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s. They’re. They’re going to be very mindful of all of that. His recovery and being at the complex league to start might. Might be helpful because they could. It’s more of a controlled environment in that regard. Before moving him maybe to a full season affiliate where we’re, you know, weather is also a factor there too. You sort of. You want to keep him pitching in an environment obviously that’s. That you’ve got the most control over. Might not see Daniel Espino until later on in the season, but chances are really good. We. We are definitely going to see him at some point as long as he stays healthy this year. The rest of that, you know, those, those options you mentioned, and I just want to go back to Kobe. Allard, you said all the different roles that he pitched in and all the different ways that he impacted and influenced the clubhouse and the, the bullpen, he had a, A Long sort of path from being a top draft pick to, you know, and failing and then recovering and then learning, you know, sort of how to get the most out of himself in the majors. And I just remember that last trip to Detroit where, you know, he had Joe Torres telling him, hey, at some point you’re going to have to pitch in a leverage situation here, and it’s going to be. It had been a week or more since he had pitched and he came.
Paul Hoynes: In 14 days, Joe, I think 14 days.
Joe Noga: And he came in, he struck out Riley Green in an epic battle in a game where they wound up winning in Detroit on a getaway game on a Wednesday afternoon. And I just remember that was like every season has those, those sort of stories that pop out and that was, that was Colby Allard’s moments there for the Guardians was, was his big strike out of Riley or Riley Green and really helping the Guardians secure that, that streak and that role, that, that 15 game, 15 and a half game comeback at the end of the year. A lot for Colby Allard. Maybe, maybe he, he, he makes that a factor in his decision where he ends up next season and maybe he comes back and pitches for Cleveland. So, yeah, the, the Guardians bullpen overhaul still ongoing, but this, that’s sort of what we have at this point and we’ll watch where it goes as we head into spring training. Hoynsey, we are less than nine shopping days away from, from Christmas. This is the best time of the year, I guess. And, you know, we got to thinking about, you know, what if, what if Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, you know, spent Christmas Eve together and, and you know, they, they, they got all dressed up in their matching Christmas jammies and, and they went to bed on Christmas Eve and they woke up Christmas morning and they came down the staircase and they looked under the tree and, and Santa had arrived and left, you know, Christmas presents for Mike Chernoff and Chris Antonetti. What would be the, the early Christmas presents that, that were left under the tree? I think each of us have some, some ideas for Chris and for Mike. So Hoynse, why don’t you start on your early Christmas present for Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff.
Paul Hoynes: I’m gonna go with Antonetti and Chernoff coming down the stairs, looking at that Christmas tree, all the presents underneath, and they will, they would find a contract for either Bochette or Catal Marte, I think, to play second base or shortstop, really solidify that middle of the infield and give, give that infield some Thump Joe, some, some legitimate big league pop.
Joe Noga: Well, I mean you’re talking about a right handed bat in Bichette who, who proved, you know, down the, on the stretch in the run for Toronto that, that he can move over and play second base. I mean he’s got mostly his experience is, is that shortstop, right?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, and he, you know, had the bad ankle that sidelined him late last season when he came back in the World Series, he proved he could play second base. So you know, that gives him another position, another, some more flexibility. And I think, you know, with the way the Cleveland’s infield looks right now, the middle of the diamond, you know, they could, they could use that. You know, obviously Arias and, and Brian Rocchio are solid defensively. They certainly, you know, both Bichette or Marte could, you know, give you some added offense. Now it’s going to be expensive for sure. I don’t know. You know, Paul Dolan would have to play Santa Claus on either one of those guys.
Joe Noga: Dolan, Claus, there you go. But Bichette.311 with an 8:40 OPS. He had 18 home runs and 94 RBIs in 139 games, a 3.5 WAR. According to baseball Reference. Cattell Marte, they. I, I believe he’s, he’s signed to a contract, right? He’s Ow. What. Just looking at the money here, he is owed 12 million or 15 million in 2026, 12 million in 2027, 2022, 22 and 11. He’s basically owed. He has an option year through, through 2030. 2031 is his option year, player, option year. So this is a guy who’s, he’ll be 36 by the end of this contract, you know, but right now he’s playing in an all star level. This is a guy who last season hit what, 283 with a.938 OPS, 28 home runs. Wait, 172 RBIs, 136 total hits and a 4.4 WAR. Plays really good defense. You know, hit a Silver Slugger award and was an All Star the last two seasons for the Diamondbacks. So you’re talking about a guy that would command a lot of prospects if you’re, if you’re, you know, trading for him and you’re really gonna have to pay, you know, out the nose for at least for the guardians level there over the next several years to, to keep him around. Those are some pretty big bows to put on those guys, you know, like the Lexus. You come out those Lexus commercials where they got the big red bow on the car in the driveway. Come down the stairs and you see Cattell Marte or, or Boba Shet sitting there with a big red bow on them. I think would make a lot of Guardians fans happy, but would take a lot for the front office to swing that. My, my early Christmas present under the Christmas tree. I want to see a whole, whole suit of body armor for Jose Ramirez for when he faces the Toronto Blue Jays next season. I want to make sure he can get through those games healthy because last season wasn’t a sure thing. I think the most injuries Jose suffered all year was, was when he was facing the the Blue Jays. Kevin Gosman hit him on the wrist and he missed a game or two and I believe he twisted his ankle running through first base at Rogers center and there was some question as to his availability after that. The Guardians need Jose Ramirez upright and healthy and playing in, you know, 152 games this year if they’re going to have any chance of success, any chance at defending their American League Central Division crown. So a full set of body armor for Jose Ramirez I think think would be a nice gift under the tree for the Guardians and Chris Anton and Mike Chernoff.
Paul Hoynes: But no doubt about it, Joe, they’ve got to keep Jose on the field. He is essential to them for sure.
Joe Noga: What was your, your next Christmas present under the tree for Antonetti and Chernoff?
Paul Hoynes: Joe? I would like to see the bow nailer that, that showed up In September that hit.290 with three home runs and 16 RBIs with the.872 OPS. I’d like to see him in late March when they open the season and just have that version of Bo Naylor for. I know it’s impossible to keep that pace going, but I would like to see that version of Bo Naylor kind of, you know, just filtered down through the, through the six months of the season. I think there’s a good hitter inside bow and I’d like to see that. I think that that’s, that would make Chernoff and Antonetti, that would bring a smile to their face on Christmas Day.
Joe Noga: You know, and who knows, maybe those numbers carry over in April, in the early part of the season. If he gets a good start going with Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, maybe that sparks him and gets him going. I’m just looking at the, you know, 10 extra base hits in that month in, in 62 at bats, 13 strikeouts. But he did walk four times. He got on base. You know, 32% of the time. That’s what they need is the. On base. They need him. You know, the, the slugging numbers will be there. He, he slugged 5.48in, in the month of September. It just seemed like every time he was getting up, he was coming through with big hits, driving in runs. Being in the middle of those rallies that sort of carried them so often in the month of September, you know, they, they don’t make that comeback that 15 and a half. If it’s not for the September version of Bo Nailers, we’ll see if, if he can do that throughout the season. Coming up. Obviously, my, my last gift under the tree I think would be a gift not just for Mike Chernoff and Chris Antonetti, not just for Guardians fans. It’d be a gift for, for the, the, the reporters and the writers who cover the team every day and you know, as he is a gift for us in the, you know, post game press conferences. It’s a joy to work with. Is a contract extension for Stephen Kwan. Put a bow on that one. Get it, get, get the deal done sometime before the end of spring training and assigned Stephen Kwan contract. The gift that keeps on giving because this is the, the player that keeps on giving. Four consecutive Gold Gloves, two all star appearances. This is an elite left fielder in, in the game of baseball. And the Guardians need to get something done there. Make it, you know, if Santa can factor his way in, that would be great. Just, just bring it for Christmas morning.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, what a, what a good point that is. You know, you know, Quan represents what the Guardians hope all their, you know, prospects can do is, you know, step right out of AAA or right out of the minor leagues and just take off in the big leagues. This guy, you know, kind of, you know, made his debut in 2022 and really never looked back. What he hits 298 and it’s, it’s a rookie year. You know, he score 93 runs his second year, 83 runs his third year. 272 last year. Plays a career, you know, 156 games. I mean, this guy is just, he looks like he’s played in the big leagues his whole career and for them to be successful, they need, you know, a couple more guys to make like Stephen Kwan. They, they need some guys to make that transition quickly to the big leagues and establish themselves and really have, you know, help their team have success.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s, it’s funny to sit and listen to him talk and read about, you know him talking about that imposter syndrome, that he still feels like, this is a guy, he’s a made guy. This is a guy who should be as comfortable as any major leaguer. And you still know every time he steps up to the plate, he’s got all those emotions in his head and all those. Those ideas of, you know, do I belong here, standing next to Aaron Judge? And. And I’ll tell you what, Stephen Kwan deserves and has earned and is every bit as much of the. The star that a guy like Aaron Judge is. So guardians need to get something done there. And losing Quan would be just a terrible setback for this organization because what it communicates to the team and to the fans and to everybody is, yeah, they can. They can build them up, they can pick them, they can build them up, they can grow them, they can develop them, but they can’t keep them, and that would be the worst thing to happen there. All right, Hoyns, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. We’ll check back in again tomorrow.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal, Joe.