CLEVELAND, Ohio — As spring training rapidly approaches, the Guardians are preparing for what promises to be one of their most competitive camps in recent memory. On a recent episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, beat reporters Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga dove into the most intriguing position battles that will unfold when players report to Goodyear, Arizona.
Unlike teams with established starters at nearly every position, the Guardians enter camp with significant uncertainty across the roster. As Hoynes bluntly put it: “You’ve got like three or four core guys, but other than that there’s like four open spots.”
The outfield situation appears particularly fluid. Beyond Steven Kwan in left field, the center and right field positions are completely up for grabs, creating what could be the most heated competition in camp.
“They really don’t have a set rotation or even a platoon system in center and right field. How does that unfold?” Hoynes noted during the podcast.
The competition features a crowded field of candidates including Johnathan Rodriguez, George Valera, and non-roster invitee Stuart Fairchild, as well as highly-coveted prospect Chase DeLauter and infielder/outfielder C.J. Kayfus. Add in questions about where Angel Martinez, Brayan Rocchio, and other infielders might fit, and the outfield competition becomes even more complex.
The first base and designated hitter situation presents another fascinating battle. Kyle Manzardo is expected to be a regular in the lineup, but how the playing time shakes out between him, Kayfus, and utility man David Fry remains unclear.
“We know Manzardo is going to play there. He’s going to play. He’ll probably be in the lineup almost every day, either at DH or first base or at least on a really regular basis as long as he’s healthy. But then you’ve got Kayfus and Fry to work into that rotation as well,” Hoynes explained.
The podcast revealed an interesting wrinkle in this competition — manager Stephen Vogt has told reporters that Fry will spend most of spring training catching, signaling a return to the team’s 2024 three-catcher approach with Austin Hedges and Bo Naylor. This could significantly impact how the first base and DH spots are allocated.
In the bullpen, competition appears equally fierce. While Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Shawn Armstrong and Erik Sabrowski seem locked into roles, multiple spots remain up for grabs. The team signed several relievers to major league deals, including Colin Holderman and Connor Brogden, but questions remain about how the final spots will be filled.
Left-handed relief options like Joey Cantillo and Tim Herrin will battle for potentially just one or two spots. As Noga pointed out on the podcast: “Do you need both of them when you break camp or can one of them get stashed away at Triple-A to start the season and then make a move when you need to?”
With pitchers and catchers reporting on February 12th and the first full-squad workout scheduled for February 17th, these battles will soon move from speculation to reality. The decisions made in Goodyear could shape Cleveland’s season significantly as they aim to return to contention in the American League Central.
To hear the complete breakdown of position battles and get more insights on what to expect at Guardians spring training, check out the full episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast with Hoynes and Noga.
Read the automated transcript of today’s podcast below. Because it’s an AI-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings.
Podcast Transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome. Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, busy weekend for the Guardians. Just before we got out of work on Friday, they announced their list of or their roster of spring training invitees. The guys who are not on the 40 man roster who will be in Major League camp, including some, some very familiar names, some guys who we’ve seen before and some rookies and prospects who are going to get a chance to get acclimated to the. How the whole spring training process works at the big league level. Some young guys who were excited to see a little bit more of and some names that we expected like Travis Bazzana, like Ralphie Velasquez at the top of that prospect list. But were there any surprises, I guess on the list of invitees to spring training Major League Camp when that list came out on Friday?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I don’t think so, Joe. Nothing really jumped out at me. You know, the, the pitchers, you know, were expected. Tanner Burns, Aaron Davenport, Trenton Denholm. Denholm Will Dion, Jack, Jack Leftwich, maybe Tommy Mace and Jack Miller, Jake Miller. I don’t think we’ve seen those guys before. But you know, Trevor Stefan was glad to see him. You know, he’s, he’s got, you know, this, he’s still getting paid and it’s a big spring for him. But yeah, not nobody that really, you know, kind of jumped out. Maybe, maybe Alfonso Soriano. I’m sorry, Alphonse and Rosario.
Joe Noga: Yeah, if they had invited Alfonso Soriano, I think that would have, would have changed things a little bit in some of the position battles. Alphonse and Rosario is the prospect who they invited. Among the outfielders, Wilfredo Antunez, Alphonse and Rosario, who was acquired I believe two years ago in the Eli Morgan trademark with the Cubs. Also on that list of invitees is Stuart Fairchild who is signed to a minor league deal. He’s a guy who has a lot of major league experience, particularly with the Reds, and we’ll talk about his chances in the outfield mix here in a bit. But yeah, a guy like Alphonse and Rosario, somebody who might not be on the radar necessarily for an opening day roster spot, but he’s one of these guys who sort of like CJ Kayfus did last year, who can, if he has a good showing in spring training, put himself maybe on the radar for a fast track through the next level in the minor leagues and maybe get a chance later in the season to come up and help the big league club.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, no doubt about it. He’s you know, an exciting player. Really dominated at high A this past season. Hit 21 home runs and you know, second most in the in. In the Cleveland’s minor league, you know, farm system. Six two, 222 pounds, big guy, he can run, you know, you know he advanced all the Akron and played, played some in the Arizona Fall League as well. So yeah, the guy that you know can do a little bit of everything, Joey, he stole the 14B, let’s see, 14 bases and 16 attempts just a year. Like I said, 21 home runs, 64 RBIs, 806 OPS. So interesting guy. And he hits right handed Joe, which is a rarity in the. At least on a 26 man roster.
Joe Noga: Yeah, especially if you’re a Guardians prospect. Anybody who can hit right handed is, is going to get a much longer consideration. I think. Rosario is the number 12 prospect in the Guardians organization according to MLB Pipeline. Also on that list of prospects invited to camp we mentioned Travis Bazzana, top prospect for Cleveland, number 20 in the top 100 for MLB Pipeline. Ralphie Velasquez, number 89 in the top 100. And Cooper Engel, catcher, number 99 in the top 100. They’ve also invited Jacob Kozart who isn’t in the top 100, but he’s the number 17 prospect last season for the Guardians and he’s a catcher out of, I believe out of NC State, taken in the same draft as Travis Bazzana. So both of those guys will be in camp and, and really, you know, this will, this will be, you know, once Bazzana is done with the, the World Baseball Classic for Australia and he gets back, back over to camp and, and starts playing. It’s his second, I believe his second time. No, this will be his first time officially in camp. But last year he was called over a bunch of times to, to play and appear in a bunch of Cactus Leagues game. Correct?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, yeah, he came over as a, you know, I guess out of the depth camp maybe or it’s just, you know, an invitee. Yeah, yeah.
Joe Noga: He wasn’t necessarily fully on the year in Major League camp list. It was more of a, you know, hey, we might need some guys in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings of these games. Come on over and sit on the bench during the, the Cactus League game so that the, the, the frontline guys in the Major league roster don’t get worn out having to play too many innings too early in camp. But just looking at that list of players was There anybody who was on the 26 man roster at the end of last year who, you know is going to find it maybe a struggle to be on that roster again this year. Is, is there somebody you know, you might have in mind who not necessarily could lose a job, but maybe not necessarily win that job and be on the roster again at the start of this season?
Paul Hoynes: Joe? I think, yeah, there is a couple guys for sure. I mean, I don’t, you know, I know they’re, you know, paying Nolan Jones $2 million, but he, I guess he was not on the roster at the end of the last season because he was hurt.
Joe Noga: But even guys like a Petey Halpin who was on because of that injury, he’s going to have to fight to sort of secure himself a spot on the roster. And in terms of pitchers, guys who were out there, it depends on which way they go in the starting rotation battle. But you know, they really like Parker Messick, but could they open him in the minors if he doesn’t necessarily go out and win a spot in the rotation?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, I think that they could, that could definitely happen. You’ve seen, you see that happen a lot with, with young starters. I don’t think there’s, there’s a reason to push Messick and let you know. And there’s no, you’ve got some depth, you know, you’ve got Logan Allen, you’ve got Slade Cecconi who’s out of options. There’s Tanner, Bobby, Gavin Williams. So you’ve got some people there. So I mean you could, you know, Parker could start the year at AAA and then come up as he like he did this past season and you know, help when, if there’s an inj, you know, they go with the six man rotation for a while. They need a sports, a spot start, something like that.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And that to me, starting off in that sort of situation with Messick, the chance to sort of pitch him in games where there’s a little bit less pressure, let him get a good feel and then come right up. We saw that, you know, he’s aggressive in the strike zone and he gives up a lot of hits that way. Maybe just sort of take what he learned in September last season and you know, apply it at the Triple A level at the start of the season and get yourself all heated up, up and then if an opportunity or a spot presents itself within that first month or so, then come up. But again, it all depends. There’s, there’s a bunch of different options for, for guys on this 40 man who, who were with the club at the end of last year and you know, they’re going to have to fight here to, to, to find their spots. Anybody who wasn’t on the 26 man active roster who you think has a really good chance to, to sort of play his way into a spot on the opening day, you know, breaking camp with Cleveland.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think, you know, some of those, those relief pitchers that they signed, they’ve, they’ve got to get a diff, a good look. I would think they’ve got a chance to really, to make this club. I don’t, you know, they, that’s why they signed them. So, you know, I, I mean those guys, they could make things interesting for the bullpen. You’ve got like, like three or four core guys, but other than that there’s like four open spots. Joe.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I keep going back to. They’ve signed all. They signed Colin Holderman, Connor Brogden. Those guys, those guys have contracts, major league contracts that, you know, they’re, they’re more than likely going to be on the opening day roster. But when you get down to those, those long relief guys, like what are you going to do with Joey Cantillo? Is he going to be a starter, is he going to be a reliever? That those questions all need to be answered. You’ve got Eric Sabrowski and Tim Heron. You know, how do, how do those guys figure out from the left side of the bullpen and do you need both of them when you break camp or can one of them, you know, sort of you stash them away at AAA to start the season and then make a move when you need to? So those kind of questions have to be answered. In terms of the first base DH situation, you’ve got a lot of candidates over there, but do you add in a guy like Jonathan Rodriguez? Well, how does he factor into the mix? If he’s going to be in the outfield, could he dh, could he take some at bats maybe away from a David Fry or a CJ Kayfus? So there are definitely a lot of options. As we get closer to spring training, we’re going to find out more. But yeah, some of these. You wrote about the position battles. What position battle intrigues you the most?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, I think the one position battle that, that really kind of interested me is there’s a couple in the outfield, Joe. I mean, they’ve got a bunch of outfielders and they really don’t have, you know, set, you know, kind of a set, even a platoon system in center and right field. So, you know, how does that unfold? Where does the Lauder play? Where does Angel Martinez play? Nolan Jones, you know, guys like that, George Valera and you know, Watson, you know, Khalil Watson, where, you know, where does he fit? So, you know, you’ve got Stephen Kwan in left field, but the, you know, two other spots are basically pretty much wide open.
Joe Noga: And will we see more variety of guys besides Steven Kwan maybe getting tested out there in left field just on the. Preparing for the likelihood or the inevitability that either Quan gets traded or something happens there? Could, could. We have to. You may see them maybe breaking in a new left fielder for the first time in four years as well, which would be their normal operating procedure anyways. Everybody plays everywhere in spring training. But you know, towards the end of camp is when you see guys playing out there regularly in their spots pretty much for the majority of a game.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely. And you know, I think, yeah, you know, I think they, yeah, they would test some guys in left field. But I, you know, I, I think, you know, I think it’s, we’re probably safe to say Quan opens a year in left field for and for the Guardians and then we’ll see how it works, you know, the rest of the way. You know, what about first base and dh, I guess, you know, we know Manzardo is going to play there. He’s going to play. He’ll probably be in the lineup almost every day, either at DH or first base or at least on a really regular basis as long as he’s healthy. But then you’ve got Kayfus and David Fry to work into that, to that kind of rotation as well.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And, and you would really think that out of those three defensively, Kyle Manzar is probably the, the, the third out of those three in terms of with the glove. Kayfus really your only real full time first base sort of option there defensively. And David Fry can play pretty much all over. I would say if you gave David Fry the majority of innings there from the right hand side at first base, probably turned into a pretty good first baseman. But I think they’re both ahead of where, where Kyle Manzardo is. We’re going to have to see that if Manzardo is really going to be dedicated and sort of be able to grow into that position there at first base and turn himself into a passable player defensively.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, and the interesting thing, when we talked to Voda a couple of weeks or just recently, he said Fry was going to spend most of the spring catching. So, you know, what does that say to you, Joe? Is that say to you we’re going to have three cat. They’re going to have three catchers, you know, with, hey, Austin, with Austin Hedges and Bo Naylor. I mean, and I guess maybe with Naylor playing, you know, committed to playing in Canada for Team Canada in the WBC, maybe they’ll, you know, they’ll need another, you know, they’re going to need catching, obviously. But that was interesting to me.
Joe Noga: Yeah. That the fact that David Fry is going to catch the majority in spring training, I think is great just because they need him. It’s so complicated. So much more work there for him to have to put in, learn how to game plan and all that kind of stuff. And he’s still growing in all of that. It also tells me, I guess, you know, you ask what it says. I think they have a lot of faith and trust in David Fry that he can play a bunch of different positions and just sort of, you know, throw the glove out there and go. And you know, one day he’s, he’s in left field, one day he’s, you know, backing up at third base or whatever, he can play anywhere and they trust him to know what he’s doing for all those positions. But catcher is the one where you really got to focus and put in the work at this time of year. Whereas, you know, you can work at first base pregame during the season and get your, get your reps in that way and you’ll be all right. So, yeah, I think that, you know, having David Fry is going to be a game changer. If he’s back to full defensive versatility for this team, it should be big. Also should note in terms of that first base battle or, you know, the mix over there. Carter Kieboom, a guy who can definitely play over there. As a non roster invitee, you’ve also got Diane Frias and Milan Tolentino on the list of spring training invitees. All of those are prospects that, you know, at some point could, you know, you know, an injury happens, something happens, and all of a sudden one of these guys is, is wearing a guardian’s uniform in the, in the regular season.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, Tolentino, you know, had a pretty good year with the bat too, so got definitely a guy to watch, showed some power at AAA Columbus, you know, had had some swing and miss, but, you know, kind of a guy that kind of opened some eyes, I believe, with the power he showed.
Joe Noga: So we’ve got the, the list of guys who are going to be there in camp, most of them are probably already there, to be honest, or getting close to being out there. The first, I think workout for WBC participants in the. The World Baseball Classic, those guys is, Is coming up relatively soon. I think it’s either the, I think it’s the 11th. First official workout for pitchers and catchers who are playing in the World Baseball Classic is February 11th. The rest of the pitchers and catchers report February 12th. First full squad workout is. Is February 17th. For position players who. Position players who are participating in the WBC. The first full squad workout is the 14th, but everybody else, it’s the 17th. So really circle that teeth as the first official day of, you know, big league camp with, with everybody all in camp and ready to go. And Hoynsie, you’re getting out there around that time as well?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, I’m going out the 15th and. Well, you know, just wanted to get there just ahead of the first full squad workout and just see how things are shaking out. I’m. Like you said, Joe, I’m sure all those guys, at least the guys from the Northeast, are already out there warming their bones, man. It’s, it’s been a brutal winter, so they can’t wait to get out into the sun in Arizona.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And Hoynsie, he wants to get out there a day or two early so we can throw a couple of bullpens and be ready. It’s, it’s a, it’s a tradition unlike any other. Yeah, I, I mean, all of these things are coming together. We’re getting closer. I guess the closer we get to Valentine’s Day. The, the closer we are to the, the feeling that, you know, baseball is in the air as well as love. So one thing that’s in the, that was in the air over the weekend, a couple of free agent signings, guys coming off the board here. And I want to talk about both of these moves. Austin Hayes goes one year, $6 million to the White Sox. And that was kind of a little bit of a shock. You know, it’s not like the, the White Sox are in win now mode and adding this guy, maybe for a veteran presence with a relatively young team in Chicago, the, the Reds turn around and sign, actually re sign, but they sign a Suarez one year, $15 million. Suarez had played a good chunk of his career already in Cincinnati before going to Arizona and eventually Seattle. But now he’s back in comfortable surroundings after hitting 49 home runs last year. Both of those signings sort of make you take a step back, look at it and from a Guardians fans perspective and say, boy, the Guardians could have offered at least that much for these guys. You couldn’t have found room or a spa a spot in your roster, a spot in your lineup for 49 home runs at 15 million for one year.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, I mean, well, listening to, you know, Chris Antonetti last week when, you know, when they announced the extension for Jose Ramirez, it was pretty clear what their plan was, you know, and it’s been clear all winter they want to give the players on the roster a chance. They’re not going to block them with a, you know, free agent. You know, boy, war has 49 bombs in one year, 15 million. I mean, they could, they could, they could, they could afford that. The Guardians could afford that. They could afford Austin Hayes as well. One year at 6 million and those guys, you know, would have seen what from the outside looking in, it seems like they could have, could have helped. This offense was so struggled so much last year. Barely averaged four runs a game, hit.226 as a team, lowest batting average in franchise history. But they have chosen a different path, Joe, and we’re going to have to see where this path leads in 2026.
Joe Noga: Let’s be clear. They could have afforded both of those guys for what they signed for. They could have signed them both, answered and addressed a lot of issues with their, their offense. They probably would have struck out a heck of a lot more during the season as well. You raise your strikeout pot, but there, there’s definitely a spot for these guys. If you’re not in the stated mode of, you know, we’re going to let our young guys, you know, give them that Runway and give them those playing opportunities. And it sounded to us last week like Chris Antonetti sort of believes that if they need to pivot at some point during the season and bring somebody else in, or if the whole, you know, let the young kids play a thing isn’t working, that they can go in a different direction. Well, guys like Eugenio Suarez and Austin Hayes aren’t going to mid season unless you’re making a trade. And yeah, these guys are on one year deals. So guys on one year deals are sometimes more available than, than others, especially if you’re willing to part with prospects, which the Guardians are famously not able to do, or not willing to do, I guess. How do you pry these guys away from teams like Cincinnati or Chicago mid season if that’s your expectation when you could have them now and just not worry about it.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, it just, I just think it shows the level of commitment that Cleveland has to the core players on this roster right now. And, you know, to say you can, you know, pivot and, and make some deals at the, at the deadline or be. Or before the deadline, whenever. It’s easier said than done. I mean, we’ve seen them make trades at the deadline, speaking of the Guardians. But, you know, two things have to happen to do that. Either you’re, you’re contending, you feel you can contend, and you know you’ve got to add to the roster or you’re struggling and then, I mean, you’re not going to make any deals. Then you’re not. Are you going to trade the guys that you, you know, showed so much confidence in? I don’t think that’s going to happen. What I’m trying to say is the only, the only way you’re going to pivot is if you’re, if you’re, you know, well, I guess struggling and you think you, you can win so you add some advance or you’re playing well and you want to help that, that, that roster. And I just, I don’t know, it just seems like you said you could have solved this problem right now and, you know, you’ve got the payroll on hand. You know, you’ve only got like a $74 million payroll right now, projected payroll, so you could have fit these guys on there.
Joe Noga: And I mean, we’re presupposing that the young guys on the roster aren’t going to come through in the way that they hope they will. If those, if, if guys like Kyle Manzardo and Brayan Rocchio and Nolan Jones and all these other, you know, young players decide that they’re going to have lights out seasons early in the year, then this becomes sort of a moot point. They’re doing what you, what you’re anticipating them. If you’re. Chris Antonetti, they’re, they’re doing what you need them to do, then you don’t have to go out and make these big roster overhaul moves at the middle of the season. So maybe that’s what he’s banking on. But again, as we’re sitting here on February 2nd sort of projecting and predicting what’s going to happen, we’re not really supremely confident that the, these young guys are going to be able to carry that load offensively and take that next step, at least not right away. You know, maybe we’re, we’re looking at that pivot point at some point during the season and when that shows up. All right. There were a bunch of former guardians who signed minor league deals over the weekend. Familiar faces, familiar names to guardians fans from the last few years who will be at least trying to latch on with other big league teams on, on minor league contracts. One of them we just briefly talked about there the during the Alphonse and Rosario. Eli Morgan is going to get a chance with a club in Cleveland’s division.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he signed a minor league deal with Kansas City, Joe. He’s going to go to camp with the big league club. Eli did not have a real good year last season with the Cubs. Struggled I think he was on the IL a couple times, stubbed his toe and he has not been the pitcher that he was earlier in his career with Cleveland. So hopefully this is a bounce back opportunity for him.
Joe Noga: Still remember what Eli Morgan’s major league league debut in a freezing rainstorm against a Blue Jays lineup that was, that had a lot of firepower at the time and he got shelled.
Paul Hoynes: He almost got blown off the mound, didn’t he?
Joe Noga: The wind. Yeah, it was, it was bad. Those were conditions where no one should be playing baseball. Eli Morgan was making his major league debut at Progressive Field. But again, the one thing that Eli Morgan can do is throw that change up and it’s just, it’s one of those Bugs Bunny change ups that falls. You know, hitters have no chance when you’re looking fastball to hit that. So yeah, a lot of, you know, a lot of time we saw Eli Morgan pitching in a Cleveland uniform. We also saw Cal Quantrill pitch four seasons in Cleveland. He won 27 games. Now after a sort of a down year with Miami, he’s going to get a chance with Texas.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Quantrill is always a really good competitor. Like he gives you everything he’s got every game, every start, every time he goes takes a mound and he just hasn’t found that same success that he had in Cleveland, Joe. And I’m not sure why what he signed with Colorado, tough place to pitch. So you know, he’s kind of bounced around a little bit but hopefully, you know he gets, he gets a chance here to establish himself with, with a really a good Texas team. He’s, he’s got a chance to, you know, be on a good squad there and hopefully, you know, push for the postseason.
Joe Noga: Nick Sandlin, a guy who was a draft pick and we saw him over the last several years, he was spent a last season went with Toronto actually and he was released over there. Now he’s signing a minor league deal with the Angels. So he’s going to get an opportunity to pitch in in in California. A bunch of other guys. Daniel Johnson, an outfielder who played 35 games for the Guardians in over the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He’s in camp with the Marlins. Darren McCaughan, who pitched a couple of games for Cleveland in 2024, he’s going to camp with the Reds. And don’t be surprised if you see the Mariners very high up in the league rankings in terms of sacrifice bunts. Will Wilson is going to be in camp with the Mariners trying to win a job there. Will Wilson, very prolific with the sacrifice bunt last season for the Guardians.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he, you know, he made his big league debut for the Guardians last season. I think he’s 27, 28. Joe. He finally got a shot at the big leagues and he didn’t embarrass himself. Like you said, when Stephen Vogt wanted a bunt, he got it down. It didn’t matter what the situation was. You pull for guys like that. So hopefully Will Wilson finds a spot on that really talented Seattle team.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and he can play a bunch of different positions on the infield as well. 5 sacrifice bunts last year for the Guardians, so very good for Will Wilson. All right, Hoynsie, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We will check back in with you tomorrow as we head towards the sports awards at the end of this week on Thursday. So we got something to talk about there and hopefully a lot to look forward to this week.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal, Joe.
Joe Noga: All right.