The Guardian has had a quiet season, also signing a backup Austin Hedges and getting a handful of deals on one-year deals. They have yet to add anyone to a roster that ranks 28th in scoring. It was the only top-10 team to make the postseason, so it’s unlikely they’ll return to October without improving this offense.
Cleveland’s budget constraints mean they will never accomplish much in free agency. Unexpectedly, they often pack high potential for marquee trading chips. The Rangers should make a small move or two in the back half of the season. They opened last season with a payroll of $103MM, and RosterResource lists their ’26 commitments at around $78MM. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote as part of a student mailbag over the weekend that he expects some sort of roster acquisition in a short-term deal. Adding a right handed bat would make sense for it Lane Thomas starting in free agency.
That said, most of the needed offensive improvements will have to come internally. That’s especially true in the middle, where viable free agent options are slim. Cleveland’s center fielders combined for a .225/.289/359 slugging line with a 27.6% slugging percentage that was 29th in MLB (slightly better than the Angels’ mark of 27.8%). That’s clearly an area to improve as the 2024 primary gets closer to making his debut. How will things go?
They are not in office
Of the five players who entered any game in the center of Stephen Vogt’s club last year, only Will Wilson you are off the list. Last year’s midfield usually consisted of three players: Gabriel Arias much in a short time, Daniel Schneemann in a multi-position role with a lot of second base work, too Brian Rocchio jumping between high-medium areas.
Angel Martinez also started 25 games at second base but was used more often in center field. The Rangers may reinstate him this year depending on their performance on the outside. Chase DeLauter he made the ALDS lineup and should be given his first MLB regular season ticket on Opening Day. They could add a center fielder in free agency. Harrison Bader would be a great fit but may be out of their price range. However, taking a cheap shopping flight Chas McCormick as a fourth defender it makes sense.
None of Arias, Rocchio, Schneemann or Martínez contributed offensively. By wRC+ rating, they were all between 21 and 26 points below the league average. Rocchio led the pack with a subpar .233 batting average and .290 on-base percentage. He hit five home runs in 115 games. Schneemann, Martínez and Arias each had 11 or 12 long balls.
The fashion lines of the season were very appealing to Rocchio. He was at least within league average range in the second half, hitting .257/.313/.376 over his final 241 plate appearances. Arias (.203/.247/.356), Schneemann (.194/.268/.309), and Martínez (.207/.283/.313) all had bad numbers after the All-Star Break. Arias and Rocchio are the starters in the postseason, although Vogt quickly beat Arias and used Schneemann on the bench.
Rocchio is probably in the strongest position on the team, yet he remains a .222/.293/.327 hitter in over 900 career plate appearances. He turns 25 tomorrow and is out of the minor league programs. He’ll break out in camp but shouldn’t be a lock to stay on the roster for the rest of the season if he doesn’t produce second-half promise. Public metrics are divided on his defense, ranking him high in 2024 but looking unimpressive from last year’s performance.
Arias, 26 in February, is also out of options. He has great physical tools: plus bat speed and raw power, a solid glove, and an excellent arm. That reduction is the wrong way. Arias throws a ton at the plate and is often hit inside the strike zone. He had the fourth highest strikeout rate among hitters with 300+ plate appearances. No one missed as many times per pitch. Except for the occasional fastball homer, he won’t provide any offense.
Schneemann is a utility player who is a few weeks away from his 29th birthday. He’ll work to slow down and hit a few home runs against right-handed pitching, but there’s also plenty of swing and miss in his game for him to be. He hit .210/.290/.358 with 17 homers and a 29% strikeout rate in 643 career plate appearances. Schneemann has a full list of minor league options so he could be the first to be sent down if/when the Rangers bring up an elite player in the minor leagues.
Hopes
Guards fans eagerly await the arrival of the second baseman Travis Bazzana since the club announced his selection with the top pick in the ’24 draft. It has become common for top college players to make it to the big leagues before the end of their first full professional season. Bazzana didn’t move quickly, at least in part because of recurring oblique problems. The Oregon State product had respectable numbers between the league’s top two (.245/.389/.424 including seven conditioning games in the Complex League), but was limited to 84 games with a pair of IL stints.
Bazzana will be one of the key players to watch in Spring Training. He remains one of the best offensive talents in the minors. He has 26 games of Triple-A experience. Guardian could justify sending him back there to start the season but he should leave the door open for him to break camp. Bazzana’s minor league approach almost crossed the line from patient to passive, resulting in both a ton of walks (17.6%) and a good strikeout rate (24.3%). He’s not a finished product, but there’s a good chance he’s already a better hitter than Arias or Schneemann.
Vogt said at the Winter Meetings that Rocchio will get more pitching work during spring training (link via Zack Meisel of The Athletic). That would leave the door open for Bazzana at second with Arias and/or Schneemann in a relief role. It also increases the camp’s importance to the 24-year-old second base prospect Juan Brito.
Brito has held a spot on the 40-man roster for three years but has yet to make his MLB debut. He could have had this opportunity last year but due to injuries to his thumb and hamstring that required surgery on both. He was limited to 24 Triple-A contests. The Rangers were given a fourth-year option, so they are not obligated to carry Brito on the MLB roster.
If they give Bazzana an Opening Day second base job, Brito probably needs an injury or a significant opportunity to struggle to find his way into the lineup. He is not a great athlete and is unlikely to succeed as a multi-position linebacker. Yet Brito excelled throughout his career, posting an OPS over .800 at every stop. That includes a .255/.366/.442 mark in nearly 800 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of three seasons. That’s an attractive profile for a lineup with too many wasted at-bats.
Shortstop prospect Angel Genao he is the only other center fielder on the 40-man roster. He is 21 years old and has yet to play a Triple-A game. Genao is coming off a solid but unimpressive .259/.323/.359 showing over 77 Double-A contests. Scouting reports peg him as a potential everyday player, but he remains a work in progress on both sides of the ball. While I hope he’ll be better than Rocchio and Arias down the line, it’s unlikely he’ll be on the Opening Day roster. The start of the second half is felt but not guaranteed.
