GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians’ first official full-squad workout of Spring Training is not until Tuesday, but you wouldn’t know it by walking around their player development complex this week.
Cleveland’s clubhouse is already packed near capacity, as most of the club’s players have arrived in Arizona. The site is buzzing with activity, from bullpen sessions to batting practice to fielding work.
Baseball is back, and as the Guardians’ camp gets underway, the overarching message from manager Stephen Vogt to his players is simple.
“Keep it rolling,” Vogt said Thursday evening. “You look at the last month and a half [of 2025], the majority of those guys are back. We played our best baseball the last four weeks. It’s ‘Pick up where we left off and keep working to get better every day.’ But we’ve got the group that finished strong.
“Now let's put it together for six months.”
The last part is the biggest key. The Guardians went 20-7 last September to cap off their comeback from a 15 1/2-game deficit to win the AL Central. It was a historic achievement, but obviously not the preferred path to the postseason, nor something you can count on replicating.
To earn a playoff spot this year, Cleveland must have a much more complete season than its turbulent 2025. And it will have to do so with a roster featuring plenty of continuity from last year.
The Guardians’ lineup was the No. 1 area that stood to improve heading into ‘26. Fans clamored this offseason for them to add a veteran right-handed hitter to complement a group heavy on lefties, many of whom are up-and-coming players. Cleveland added two hitters to the fold this offseason: non-roster invitees Stuart Fairchild and Carter Kieboom.
The Guardians have maintained all winter they want to provide their young guys runway to make an impact in the Majors. It means they need a familiar cast to pick up where it left off in 2025 and build upon it this year.
Cleveland ranked sixth in the Majors in runs (124) in September. Their starting rotation, meanwhile, led the AL in ERA (2.60) in the final month, which is a strong source of the club’s confidence leading up to Opening Day.
“This year, we're coming in with a very young team, but a huge amount of optimism,” general manager Mike Chernoff said. “The best that we played last year was when we let our young guys play.”
Given the presence of players such as José Ramírez, Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo, and catchers Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges and David Fry, there’s potentially seven roster spots available on the position player side, and a long list of guys who are vying for opportunities.
Chase DeLauter (MLB Pipeline’s No. 46 overall prospect), CJ Kayfus, George Valera and Juan Brito (Cleveland’s No. 14 prospect in 2025) are competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Kahlil Watson (No. 18 prospect) and Petey Halpin are also looking to earn their first extended stint in the Majors.
Returning players such as Nolan Jones, Angel Martínez, Johnathan Rodríguez, Daniel Schneemann, Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio each are looking to improve upon what they did in ’25.
Competition will permeate all areas of the Guardians’ camp this spring. Cleveland has six starting pitchers (Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick) in the picture for five spots. The bullpen mix is also crowded, and there are only eight spots down there.
But the most-pressing question to answer before Opening Day will be who comprises the position-player grouping. And from there, the Guardians must determine what the appropriate amount of runway is for whomever is in that mix, and there is no perfect answer.
“Of course, a lot of those [decisions] aren't irreversible,” Chernoff said. “So how do you make adjustments throughout the course of the season as needed?”
The Guardians’ competition has gotten better this winter. Over the past week, the Tigers fortified an already strong rotation by signing Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander.
But the way Cleveland ended the 2025 regular season has inspired confidence in it as it opens camp.
“It's a super confident group right now,” Vogt said. “There's a good buzz. It doesn't seem like anybody's upset. I think the beauty of this is that our guys are going to get opportunities, and they know that they can win.”