With twenty games left in Spring Training, it’s looking like the Guardians are going to be pushed to put their money where their mouths have been when it comes to not blocking young players.
Cleveland, OH
Time for the Guardians to Do What They Said They’d Do
All offseason, President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, and General Manager, Mike Chernoff, have been clear about the plan to fix the Guardians’ hitting woes of 2025 without spending a dime in major league free agency in the attempt to do so:
“As we looked at a lot of the external the possibility of external additions, one of the questions we continually have to ask ourselves is, ‘whose opportunity does this impede’”? – Chris Antonetti, 1/23/2026.
“We need to get better offensively. …we believe that growth and development can come from the guys we have in the organization.“ – Antonetti, 1/30/2026
“One of our key goals was not to impede players with the most upside (from playing in Cleveland). We saw a glimpse of what Chase DeLauter could do in the playoffs. George Valera and C.J. Kayfus also showed up pretty well at the end of the season.” – Chernoff, 1/30/2026
Right now, projected to be on the Opening Day Guardians’ roster, there are two players who have over 1,000 plate appearances who are blocking younger players with less experience, eager to prove themselves as more valuable major leaguers: Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias.
I am not writing this post to criticize the Cleveland front office for believing in Jones and Arias and for giving them their fair shot. Two years ago, I believed Arias had shown enough to get his fair chance, and last spring, I agreed with the idea of bringing Jones on board in a weak outfield group to see if he could regain his 2023 form at the plate. However, over the past two seasons Jones has now put up a 71 wRC+ in 700 plate appearances and Arias has put up a 75 wRC+ in 634 plate appearances. Jones will turn 28 years old this season and Arias just turned 26 years old; neither is likely to experience a breakout at this point in their major league careers.
In Arias’s case, replacing him involves putting Brayan Rocchio at shortstop. Rocchio is 10 and half months younger than Arias, has 100+ fewer plate appearances. He also finished 2024 with a league average 100 wRC+, while Arias finished with a 65 wRC+. There is still some slim hope remaining that Rocchio can be a league average bat – hope that no longer exists for Arias. So, the team needs to give Rocchio the reigns at shortstop and let him sink or swim, while also letting star prospect Angel Genao develop at short in Akron and, soon, Columbus. Most importantly, however, moving on from Arias with a designating for assignment, will allow the team to let Juan Brito try his hand as a full-time second baseman while the team allows Travis Bazzana to heat up at Columbus. Both Brito and Bazzana offer FAR more potential as hitters than either Arias or Rocchio and need to be featured in the Guardians’ lineup in 2026 as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Daniel Schneemann offers a perfect utility bat, capable of playing any position except catcher, and not someone who needs to be given regular plate appearances (ahem, PLEASE catch that last part, Manager Stephen Vogt). Additionally, should an injury take place with Rocchio, Milan Tolentino is having an excellent Spring Training, has an exceptional glove at shortstop, and should be capable of providing something similar to Arias’s career 76 wRC+ at the plate if called upon in a pinch. Arias is not needed on this team; while right-handed, he has a career 50 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. He also looked horrendous when asked to play outfield in the past, so he isn’t as good of an option as Schneemann in the super utility role.
As for Jones, bringing him back as an option in centerfield made sense this offseason, but spring training is making clear that keeping him as that depth is not a priority. Both Kahlil Watson and Petey Halpin have looked very good at the plate and in the field in center. It’s one week of Spring Training, so, please, don’t think I am saying either will be good major league players. However, neither has to be good to surpass average (at best!) defense in center and a 71 wRC+ at the plate provided by Jones these past two seasons. With Steven Kwan gamely taking on the challenge of center field, DFA’ing Jones allows the team to get good, solid looks at George Valera and Chase DeLauter, as well as allowing CJ Kayfus to work on his corner outfield skills in Columbus should either of the above players get hurt. If Jones were capable of hitting left-handed pitching, he’d be a roster shoo-in, but give me Stuart Fairchild and his potential for above-average centerfield play and career 106 wRC+ vs. LHP over Jones’s fielding and career 76 wRC+ against southpaws in the fourth outfielder role. Alternatively, Angel Martinez is a fine choice in this role as well, as he has a 121 wRC+ against LHP in his brief time in the bigs – whichever the Guardians prefer is cool with me.
Finally, with the Guardians’ committed to Jones for $2 million for 2026, designating him for assignment makes it likely no team will claim him. Since Jones is short of five years of major league service time, Cleveland can option him to Columbus when he likely clears waivers and mix him into all three outfield positions there, hanging on to him for needed outfield depth. In effect, they will gain an option on a player who has potential to be a league average bat against RHP and a playable fielder in center. That’s worth retaining… but not at the expense of a roster and lineup spot needed to give exciting, young players like Valera and DeLauter a real chance at establishing themselves.
If the Guardians start the season – as I expect they will – with Jones and Arias on the roster, I will be disappointed. I know, I know… it’ll probably just be for the month of April, but April games count just as much as September games. The reps that players like Brito, Bazzana, Valera and DeLauter could get in April can help them work out early struggles to be prepared for summer success. Nothing against Jones and Arias, personally, as both seem like good dudes, but we need to be clear-eyed about what is best for this team. Giving further opportunities to two players who are extremely unlikely to be above-average major league contributors would be a mistake, given the strategy that Cleveland has espoused publicly all offseason.
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 4/21/26: You’ll Take this Draft Speculation and You’ll Like It
CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) – Hello, Cleveland Browns fans!
Three days until the NFL Draft. Three. Days. My coffee is strong, my patience for mock drafts is not, and somewhere out there, a draftnik is writing his 47th “why the Browns should definitely pick X at 6” piece. We have arrived at the point in the calendar where every possible permutation has been considered, rejected, re-considered, and published. And yet, here I am, starring articles and talking about them, so who am I to judge?
THE DEFAULT SOLUTION: Over at the Chronicle-Telegram, Scott Petrak profiled Carnell Tate as the king of contested catch – the latest in a long line of Ohio State receivers, and it ties in nicely with a topic we talked about during last night’s Gang of Three.
At this point, there’s no consensus among the draftniks and the mock drafters on who the Browns will take at #6. There have been at various points, but now you’re getting random answers. “Trade down” seems to be the leader, but that may not happen because other teams above the Browns are thinking the same thing, which could screw things up for Andrew Berry and crew. The fallback then seems to be WR Carnell Tate (according to media consensus), but I sense that the massive ecosystem of draft “experts” and wannabe experts has long grown bored with this idea and decided that the Browns shouldn’t “settle” on Tate. So, we’re seeing defensive BPAs and others show up frequently.
But let’s go back to something I’ve said before – mock drafts are often more accurate earlier in the process than later, when the people writing them get bored with the obvious and start throwing curveballs into the mock drafts to keep themselves amused. At the end of the day, if the NFL trading game isn’t cooperating with the Browns, there’s still a very good chance that Tate will be the selection.
So, I advanced this notion last night, and we came back to the original thought that Tate was still a damn good pick at that point, even if one of our crew has been advocating for Makai Lemon for months. As an unabashed Buckeye fan, I’m coming full circle on this idea.
CAMP MONKEN STARTS: Let’s start with the one piece of actual new news: Todd Monken’s voluntary minicamp wrapped with plenty of questions, especially at QB. I’ll spare you my fatigue on that particular topic – we’ve been over the QB situation enough times that my keyboard is starting to file a grievance. Suffice to say: the Browns do not have their quarterback, and the draft is unlikely to fully solve that.
What we do have is a different philosophy on the QB competition, where the facade that all contestants are treated equally is being discarded. This will also give us our first look at the post-Achilles Deshaun Watson, to see if he looks in any way different from the Watson of recent years, who offered little after kickoff in real games. We’ll have Fred Greetham and Pete Smith out at practice today, and expect to hear from them later this afternoon.
Gang of Three, Three Days Away edition is available on YouTube if you missed it. Thursday, we light up the Draft Cave for the full first round. Strap in – we’re almost there.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
- The Gang of Three: Three Days Away
OBR ARTICLES
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
THE WATERCOOLER
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…
I had computer problems this morning, and the stories I saved for the Lift were lost, a tragedy so intense that I’m struggling to write about it. Suffice it to say, somewhere there’s a human being awesome to animals, or a dog returning that favor. One article I do remember was about a sequel to the 1980’s underrated sci-fi movie “The Last Starfighter” being developed as a graphic novel. That movie looked like a Star Wars rip-off when it came out, but turned out to be a surprisingly fun movie. Not sure if I’m the only one who remembers it, but I have fond memories of seeing it in the theater.
WRAPPING UP
When not remembering when he had L33t video game skills, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
OBR on BlueSky
OBR on Threads
OBR on LinkedIN
OBR on Youtube
OBR on Twitch
OBR on Facebook
Handy Links
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
OBR Unpublished RSS Feed
If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them’s the rules.
Copyright 2026 WOIO via TheOBR.com. All rights reserved.
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact webinfo@cjn.org or call 216-454-8300.
-
New York42 minutes agoTrump’s Immigration Crackdown Pervades Long Island Suburbs
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoChris Simms projects Detroit Lions first-round NFL draft pick
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSan Francisco sets $3.4B price tag for public takeover of PG&E
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoGame Day Guide: Stars at Wild | Dallas Stars
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMay a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoTyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoMotorcyclist seriously injured in Denver hit-and-run crash – AOL
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoBrock: 2 drafts fits at edge rusher for Seattle Seahawks