Guardians Opening Day Roster Taking Shape After Recent Transactions

The Cleveland Guardians announced multiple roster moves on Friday afternoon.

Tommy Wild | Mar 21, 2025

Mar 16, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) gets ready for a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians

With Opening Day less than a week away, the Cleveland Guardians had to make some tough decisions and choices with their roster.

Some of those moves came on Friday as the team announced multiple transactions with some key players in the organization.

The moves the team announced include:

Optioned To Triple-A

INF Juan Brito
UTL Angel Martinez
OF Johnathan Rodriguez

Reassigned To Minor League Camp

RHP Luis Frias
RHP Brad Hanner
RHP Zak Kent
1B/OF Micah Pries

Informed Would Not Make Opening Day Roster

LHP Parker Mushinski
C Dom Nuñez
LHP Kolby Allard
RHP Vince Velasquez

Implications For Guardians At 2B

One of the biggest takeaways with this round of moves is having Juan Brito start in the minors.

Cleveland's 10th-ranked prospect was a true contender to be their Opening Day second baseman after the Andres Gimenez trade, but struggled during spring training.

Brito only recorded seven hits in 37 at-bats and uncharacteristically struck out at an alarming rate. On the bright side, four of those seven hits were home runs.

Brito could very well still be a key contributor for the big league team this season, but letting his bat heat up at Triple-A before a call-up is a smart move at this point.

This transaction now paves the way for either Gabriel Arias or Tyler Freeman to start the season at second base.

Mar 13, 2025; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians third base Gabriel Arias (13) makes the play for an out against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Implications For Guardians Bullpen

One of the most shocking decisions of this latest round of moves was the news that Kolby Allard would not make the Opening Day roster.

The former first-round pick was putting together a solid training camp, recording a 1.35 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in six appearances.

With injuries to multiple left-handed relievers, it would have made sense to create a spot for Allard to start the season in the majors.

However, the Guardians would've had to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, which could have been a key factor in their decision. Hopefully, they can still find a way to keep Allard in the organization.

Tim Herrin remains the only southpaw in Cleveland's bullpen.

Implications For Guardians At 2B

Implications For Guardians Bullpen

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