CLEVELAND — Bill Veeck, the owner, innovator and Baseball Hall of Fame member, once said there are only two seasons: baseball season and winter mailbag season. Or, something like that.

Your questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

What impact did Craig Albernaz have and who is going to replace him? — Mitch D.

Obviously, the Guardians filled Albernaz’s role with Stephen Vogt’s stunt double, Tony Arnerich, in the time since this question was asked, but I want to take a minute to discuss the coaching staff and what Albernaz meant to the organization. If Vogt didn’t land Cleveland’s managerial gig two years ago, Albernaz might have. He was a finalist for the job, and the Guardians were so enamored by him, they knew they wanted him on the staff in some capacity before Vogt even accepted their offer. As it turned out, Vogt and Albernaz, longtime close friends, were keeping each other updated throughout the interview process. Vogt made Albernaz his bench coach, and the two leaned on each other for two years as they navigated a new frontier.

Every manager needs a deputy like Albernaz, someone who won’t just nod along to every proposal, but will challenge their decision-making and present alternative solutions. That explains why Vogt poached a couple coaches from the Mariners’ staff. (Andy McKay will replace Kai Correa as field coordinator.) Vogt spent a year as Seattle’s bullpen coach before coming to Cleveland. That familiarity should help.

Albernaz also added levity; his Massachusetts accent is impossible to miss, and if you asked anyone in the organization to name the best trash-talker on the payroll, there would be only one answer the last two years: Albernaz.

He’d joke that Vogt requested Albernaz’s promotion to associate manager only so Vogt could spend the 2025 season calling him the first three letters of each word in that title. In return, Albernaz took a factually inaccurate social media post that claimed Vogt was among the league’s highest-paid managers and when the Guardians were playing well, Albernaz made sure everyone he encountered at the ballpark each day knew Vogt was earning upwards of $30 million a year. When they were slumping, that figure would conveniently change to $50,000.

They came up together through the Tampa Bay Rays’ system as backup catchers who earned admiration from the organization’s decision-makers. Joe Maddon once declared that Albernaz, an undrafted catcher out of Eckerd College, would make a great coach/manager one day. Vogt turned himself into a two-time All-Star and, a year after retiring, landed a managerial job. The Guardians figured this would be a short-term pairing. Albernaz could have landed either the Chicago White Sox or Miami Marlins gig last winter, but he wanted to wait for the right opportunity. Enter the Baltimore Orioles.

As for the new (and familiar-looking) faces on Cleveland’s staff, McKay actually hired Vogt in Seattle and became a mentor to him. He has experience coaching, directing a farm system and working as an assistant GM. Arnerich served as the Mariners’ hitting coach and bullpen coach in recent years.

“I already have that trust built in with him,” Vogt said.

Any chance of renewed contract talks with Steven Kwan this winter? — Alex C.

In the spring, maybe – if he isn’t traded by then – but he has little incentive to sign. He’s projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $8.8 million next season through arbitration, he’s two years from free agency and he’s coming off an offensive showing he deemed disappointing. Why would he choose now to settle? It’s the same reason that might deter the Guardians from trading him. They weren’t blown away by the offers they received at the deadline, and the offers they receive this winter could be even less compelling. One other thing to consider: Kwan could benefit more than anyone from the coming ABS system, given his handle of the strike zone.

Do we have the right to riot if Chase DeLauter is not in the Opening Day lineup? Is there a real chance for Travis Bazzana to get a call-up next summer, and if so, what’s the middle infield? — Alex A.

The Guardians would love for DeLauter to be on the Opening Day roster. Given his injury history, there’s motivation to just let him play from the get-go instead of manipulating his service time and risking injury in Triple A. A year ago at this time, they were banking on him joining them midseason and playing a key role in their outfield. As for the middle infield, the guess here would be Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio begin the season as the shortstop/second base tandem, and then Bazzana gets rolling in Columbus, earns a promotion and forces one of them to the bench. There are, however, trade candidates available who could cover second base until Bazzana is ready and then shift to the outfield, such as Brendan Donovan or Brandon Lowe. And when it comes to a Donovan deal, no one knows Cleveland’s farm system better than St. Louis Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio, who was the club’s director of player development until a year ago.

Will the streak of a new right fielder every Opening Day continue in 2026? — Thomas K.

Here’s who has started in right field on Opening Day each year since 2012: Jhonkensy Noel, Ramón Laureano, Will Brennan, Steven Kwan, John Adams, Josh Naylor, Domingo Santana, Tyler Naquin, Brownie the Elf, Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte, Onion from the Hot Dog Derby, Collin Cowgill, Brandon Moss, Shoeless Joe Jackson, David Murphy, Drew Stubbs and Shin-Soo Choo.

OK, I might have added a few names in there, but you get the point.

The Guardians start the season in Seattle against a Mariners rotation that, at the moment, is full of righties. That, among other things, should guarantee Vogt pencils in a name other than Noel in right field. George Valera, perhaps. Maybe DeLauter or C.J. Kayfus. Or, gasp, an external addition? The Magic 8 Ball on my desk says… “ask again later.” It must want to see how free agency unfolds. I’ll guess Valera for now, but that’s the easiest spot for the Guardians to upgrade. Either way, it’ll be 15 consecutive years with a new Opening Day right fielder.

What are your top pipe-dream free-agent signings and your top realistic, fills-holes-on-the-team free-agent signings? — Matthew D.

If I had a nickel for every time a Cleveland fan has mentioned Pete Alonso to me the last six weeks, I’d have enough money to secure a website domain to start a fundraiser to pay for Alonso’s forthcoming contract. Obviously, he’s not coming to Cleveland. He’s signing elsewhere for a bunch of money, though I understand why it’s fun to daydream about him peppering the left-field bleachers with home run balls. Luis Arraez is a selfish free-agent desire — I don’t think he’s a good fit, but I just want to watch him and Kwan bat back-to-back for a week.

Let’s get realistic. Obviously, the lineup needs help. They can grab in free agency a right-handed outfielder to partner with DeLauter or Valera, perhaps Austin Hays or Rob Refsnyder or Randal Grichuk. Not sexy by any means, but necessary. They could use another proven, everyday option, but that might be more attainable via trade (Donovan, Lowe, Jarren Duran, Brandon Marsh, Yandy Díaz and many more).

So, we’ll shift our attention to the bullpen. From the buy-low-on-guys-who-do-or-did-have-electric-stuff department: Michael Kopech, Dustin May, Hunter Harvey. They’re seeking late-inning depth, so someone more reliable, such as Ryan Helsley, Pete Fairbanks, Luke Weaver, Kyle Finnegan, Emilio Pagán or Seranthony Domínguez could work, too.

Do you think Daniel Espino has any shot at the majors next year in the bullpen? — Larry W.

I do. He’s finally healthy, after four snakebitten years. He (briefly) pitched well in the Arizona Fall League. He obviously can’t be counted on to make 70 appearances in 2026, but they can slow-play it in Columbus and add him to the big-league roster at some point if he keeps progressing. I have a feeling that, come March, he’s going to have people fantasizing about him pitching the ninth in October.

The Blue Jays had huge contributions in October from former Guardians who were deemed not adequate in Cleveland. Does this show lack of development ability within the organization or lack of evaluation? Or both? — Lewis B.

It’s no secret the Guardians need to improve on the hitting development side. That’s been true for years. There are probably better examples to use than Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez and Myles Straw to make that case. The fact that Clement is the new record-holder for hits in a postseason is bewildering. Good for him. It’s a cool story. He was squeezed out of a spot in Cleveland because the organization stockpiled middle infield prospects for years. He was cut by the Oakland Athletics, too. He spent a good chunk of the 2023 season at Triple-A Buffalo (and mashed). He’s turned into a Gold Glove-caliber infielder and has been a tick below-average at the plate in two full seasons with the Blue Jays. But he was a star throughout the playoffs. The greater indictment for the Guardians, though, is that none of the guys who ranked ahead of him on that middle-infield hierarchy — Arias, Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, Angel Martínez, José Tena, Owen Miller — have panned out in Cleveland.

It is Thursday, March 26th. It is 38 degrees in Cleveland with a rain/snow mix but there’s baseball in Seattle. What is our Opening Day lineup with a righty on the mound? — Matthew D.

LF Steven Kwan
2B Brendan Donovan
3B José Ramírez
DH Kyle Manzardo
CF Chase DeLauter
RF George Valera
1B C.J. Kayfus
C Bo Naylor
SS Brayan Rocchio

Oops, all lefties. Austin Hays will hit a pinch-hit homer in the seventh.

Hi Zack, longtime Cleveland sports fan. When will I feel again? — Eric V.

In the spring, when the harsh grip of winter relents a bit, when debate about how many first-team reps a backup quarterback received finally fades and NFL Draft talk instead floods your ear canals, and when you hear the thwack of a Cade Smith fastball popping in Bo Naylor’s glove on a back field. When spring arrives, you’ll feel again, even if it’s fleeting.