The Cleveland Guardians have a bit of a problem on their hands.
Middle infielder Gabriel Arias has shown steady signs of promise, but they have a logjam at his position.
With that in mind, analyst Tommy Wild recently stated that the Guardians need to decide if Arias is worth keeping for the long run.
“After the 2025 season and heading into 2026, the Guardians have a dilemma, and Arias is at the center of it,” Wild wrote. “The predicament the front office faces is deciding whether Arias’ defensive and streaky power is enough to warrant one of the two middle infield positions, especially with Brayan Rocchio putting it all together, and the looming shadow of a Travis Bazzana MLB debut at some point early in 2026. Will the Guardians continue to give Arias opportunities, given his defensive ability, and hope that he can become a more consistent hitter? Or, will Cleveland put all their chips into a middle infield duo of Bazzana and Rocchio, leaving Arias as the odd man out?”
Arias had some timely hits last season, rising to the occasion when it mattered most, and he was a more consistent offensive player than Rocchio, even though his ceiling isn’t as impressive.
He’s also an outstanding defensive player.
Then again, as Wild stated, at least one of the middle infield positions will go to Bazzana once he’s ready to make his debut.
As the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft and the top prospect in the organization, even if Bazzana struggles, the Guardians are going to give him as many opportunities to grow through his mistakes and succeed as they can.
As for Rocchio, he has a tendency to go through long slumps, as he did this season, which raises questions about him as an everyday player.
For now, it seems the safest bet is to keep Arias and Rocchio, or hope that another team makes a trade offer for one of them.
All things considered, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which both of them are on the team by the end of the season.
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