Cleveland Guardians middle infield presents major problems for 2026

The offseason is in full swing. The Winter Meetings are over. Big names have signed free agent deals. And then there is the Guardians.

Outside of a handful of minor bullpen moves, the Guardians have largely been silent all offseason long when it comes to signing free agents. The team has been trying to trade Steven Kwan since the trade deadline, but there have been absolutely no developments on that front in the past several weeks.

At the Winter Meetings, Manager Stephen Vogt praised the current Guardians roster, and rightfully so, coming off of back-to-back AL Central titles.

Most recently, Vogt shared his praise for the middle infield, specifically Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias.

“You’re going to see Brayan play a lot of shortstop during Spring Training, as well, and Gabby probably play a little bit elsewhere, just to be ready for it," Vogt said. "With the way those two played up the middle and the way they finished the season strong, it would be hard not to pencil those two guys in there playing shortstop and second base.”

The keyword choice here is pencil. You can erase a pencil. This should give Guardians fans an ounce of hope that one, if not both, of these players is not an everyday starter in 2026.

The Guardians have already been connected to All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals. MVP candidate Ketel Marte also does not have Cleveland on his no-trade list. There are great prospective fits out there that will be better both offensively and defensively.

To simply pass up the opportunity to acquire either of these two players, considering what you have in Arias and Rocchio, would be foolish by the front office. Whether deals get done is a different story, but you would imagine they at least make some phone calls.

The other key part of the Vogt quote was mentioning how they grew as the season went on. Arias, over his final 171 plate appearances, had an OPS+ of 55. The MLB average is 100. That is almost as bad as it gets. For the entire season, his OPS+ was 76. Brayan Rocchio’s OPS+ was 75. Both are well below MLB average.

As a comparison, Donovan had an OPS+ of 119 last season. Marte’s OPS+ was 145 in a season where he constantly battled injuries. Donovan is also a Gold Glove winner back in 2022, showing that he can also play a high level of defense.

Yes, the Guardians have won at a high level with this roster the past two seasons. Last year, though, took a miraculous comeback and a historic collapse by the Tigers to win the division. If the Tigers win one or two more games, the Guardians are at home in the postseason.

The Guardians had one of the worst offenses in baseball last year, but they were carried by their pitching staff. Why not help out that stellar staff with an additional bat or two and a glove up the middle that can be relied upon?

Leaving things to Rocchio and Arias has worked just enough in the past, but it may not be enough moving forward. The time is now for the Guardians to make moves; their window is open.