On Friday, MLB.com Guardians beat reporter Tim Stebbins held an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit with Guardians fans at r/ClevelandGuardians. This mailbag features questions and answers from the AMA, the full version of which can be read here. Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Is there any indication that the Guardians will be adding another bat, specifically a right-hander, or are we most likely rolling into the season with the young guys?
I still feel that we'll see them add a hitter on a big league deal. Even with the desire to give runway to the younger guys (Chase DeLauter, George Valera, etc), they're so heavy on left-handed hitters right now. Adding one hitter alone won't fully balance that out, but it would be a step. Obviously, they also ranked 28th in the Majors in runs per game last year. The young guys could help, but there's always variance in how they fare as they get accustomed to the big leagues.
There's a way to stay in both lanes -- giving the up-and-comers opportunity while augmenting the group in a way that can boost your overall production.
Who is going to provide league-average offense from the right side of the plate?
It's an interesting question because the Guardians are heavy on left-handed hitters. The only righties on the 40-man roster are Austin Hedges, Gabriel Arias, David Fry and Johnathan Rodríguez. Then you obviously have switch-hitters such as José Ramírez, Angel Martínez (who was better from the right side than the left last season) and Brayan Rocchio, among those in the big league picture.
I think a bounceback season is in store for David Fry, which will go a long way to improving the team's production against lefties (.647 OPS in 2025). Fry was stellar against southpaws in '24 (.996 OPS), and Stephen Vogt told reporters at the Winter Meetings how he thinks Fry being able to play the field this season will alleviate some of the pressure he potentially felt to produce while limited to DH and pinch-hitting last year.
I still think it would help to acquire a right-handed hitter. We've talked about it all offseason, but it makes a ton of sense to add one to the outfield mix to balance things out a bit and help the overall production.
Can Kyle Manzardo improve at 1B or is DH his permanent position?
It's definitely too early to permanently make him a DH. Remember, Carlos Santana came up as a catcher before he was moved from out behind the plate. He won his first Gold Glove Award at first base in 2024 -- as a 38-year-old. Manzardo is 25. There's room for him to improve and time for him to do so.
Vogt had some interesting insight during a session with reporters at the Winter Meetings last month. He noted Manzardo has been preparing his body physically for more reps at first base this season.
"He's put on 14 pounds already this winter,” Vogt told reporters. “He's been hitting the gym hard to prepare his body to play first base. We're excited to see where he comes in."
Is there any reason to believe that Nolan Jones will be any better this year?
I think there is, because at the least, we saw what he's capable of in 2023 when he was with Colorado. Obviously this past season didn't go how anyone hoped for, and the numbers were what they were. I think the underlying metrics we all talked about for months were real, though, as far as his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. Those came down a bit by season's end (46.7 percent hard-hit rate, 70th percentile; 90.8 percent average exit velocity, 66th percentile), but it's in part why the Guardians believe there's potential for a really productive hitter in there.
Is Juan Brito still considered a real option for this season?
Most definitely. Brito had rough injury luck last year. I'd surmise we would have seen him in the Majors by June had he not undergone right thumb surgery in April. The Guardians gained an extra Minor League option on him, so they could have him start the 2026 season with Triple-A Columbus. But he's shown he can hit in the Minors, and he'll get a chance to make an impact in the Majors this year.