This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- Baseball’s offseason is an opportunity for players to reset following the grind of the 162-game season. Along with that, the weeks and months leading up to Spring Training are primed for guys to work, whether it's on the physical side of things, mechanical or otherwise.
Kyle Manzardo has been working. Manager Stephen Vogt has noted on several occasions over the past month-plus that the 25-year-old has gained 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2025 season. It’s been part of Manzardo’s offseason regimen that appears pointed toward a specific goal that could prove key to Cleveland this coming season.
“For Kyle, I've talked with him about, ‘Be ready to play first base,’” Vogt told local media during a Zoom session last week. “I think for Kyle to play first base four to five days a week, that puts us in the best position possible to be successful.
“He's putting in the work both offensively, defensively -- and most importantly, with his body -- to be able to do that.”
Manzardo is set to be one of the Guardians’ most important position players in 2026. He’s the leading candidate to provide immediate protection behind José Ramírez in the lineup, which is a role he often filled in his first full big league season last year. Along the way, Manzardo ranked second on the team in home runs (27), RBIs (70) and OPS (.768), trailing only Ramírez in each of these categories.
Manzardo’s importance also extends to the defensive side of things. The Guardians wanted him to add strength this winter to get his body physically prepared for more reps at first base and to help him sustain his success over the course of the summer.
“He’s starting to really focus on his body and getting bigger and stronger,” Vogt added last week. “I think for Kyle, going through your first full season in the big leagues is a different monster. Until you've played 162 games and gone through the rigors of eight months of getting your body prepared every day, you don't know what that feels like.
“Now Kyle does, and he's showing it in his winter work by putting on the weight that he has.”
Last season, Carlos Santana led the Guardians in starts at first (92) despite his eventual release on Aug. 28, and the 39-year-old was named a Gold Glove Award finalist. Manzardo ranked second in starts there (53), and he made another 68 starts as the designated hitter.
This season, the Guardians’ first-base options also include C.J. Kayfus and David Fry -- both of whom have versatility to play other positions. If the Guardians can pencil Manzardo in at first a handful of times each week, it will provide Vogt more flexibility with the DH spot. That’s always valuable for any team, and it may be especially so for Cleveland this season.
Chase DeLauter and George Valera will be in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster, and both could be prominent factors in the outfield picture. Given the tough injury luck both experienced in the Minor Leagues, DH could be an avenue to keep DeLauter or Valera’s bat in the lineup on days they’re not playing the field.
That approach of getting a player off his feet also can be applied to anyone on the Guardians’ roster, and none of that would preclude the club from getting Manzardo time at DH.
Along with first base, Kayfus also showed he can play a steady right field in 2025. Fry will return to playing the field after he was limited to DH and pinch-hitting last season coming off offseason Tommy John surgery. He could draw starts at first against left-handed pitching.
The Guardians have options at first base, and Manzardo will enter Spring Training as a crucial piece to the equation.