Examining the Guardians' 2022 roster as it stands today and what work needs to be done

Baseball is near — uh, maybe. Hopefully. If you know of a dance or sacred ritual that might bring about baseball season on time, now might be the time to try it.

The players and owners continue to negotiate the next CBA. Small strides are being made, but plenty of work remains to be done. Spring training games already have been pushed back to at least March 5. Opening Day — currently set for March 31, the day that the Guardians era at Progressive Field really begins — will be in jeopardy if an agreement isn't reached in a few days.

Everybody hold your breath.

But once baseball does return, it could be an absolute frenzy. Teams will be scrambling to get players to spring camp and then ramped up to be ready for Opening Day (there likely will be about four weeks, at best, to get players ready for games that matter). Free agency might resemble that of the NBA signing period, as a large portion of the offseason would be condensed into a few days or even hours.

But what if Opening Day was today? Before the potential flurry of signings on the free-agent market, before teams bring in plenty of non-roster invitees to compete for spots, here's a look at where the Guardians' roster stands today.

The Guardians' biggest question marks: middle infield, corner outfield, bullpen

MIDDLE INFIELD BREAKDOWN

The Guardians are flush with highly-regarded middle-infield prospects throughout their farm system. They're also flush with question marks at the major-league level.

Andres Gimenez was a key long-term part of the Francisco Lindor trade, along with more of a rental in Amed Rosario. Those two could start the season at second base and shortstop, respectively. But Rosario is a potential first domino that could alter the look of the roster on the position players' side.

President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said prior to the lockout that Rosario was, at the time, the Guardians' shortstop, but that things could always change as camp progresses. If he's not the starting shortstop, the Guardians could opt to again try to find him a spot somewhere in the outfield, an experiment that was short lived in 2021.

And that move wouldn't only be due to major-league roster construction. The Guardians eventually might need to make room for one of three talented prospects — Tyler Freeman, Gabriel Arias and Richie Palacios — who have Triple-A experience and could be ready for the majors at some point in 2022 (Freeman, especially).

Owen Miller, Yu Chang and Ernie Clement all remain on the 40-man roster as utility infielders vying for spots. Chang is out of minor-league options.

CORNER OUTFIELD BREAKDOWN

The outfield is the Guardians' biggest area of need. The only different aspect of that sentence compared to 2021, and 2020, and 2019, and so on, is the team name. Myles Straw was brought in to stabilize center field. Everything else is up in the air.

Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado were both retained on the 40-man roster and are out of options. Josh Naylor figures to have a prominent role but is still recovering from ankle surgery, and his Opening Status is unknown. Franmil Reyes played a handful of games in right field at the end of last season, but it remains to be seen how comfortable the Guardians would be putting him out there on a regular basis.

Steven Kwan, who destroyed Triple-A pitching in 2021, Palacios (who primarily plays second base and the outfield) and Nolan Jones could contend for a spot. Reyes is the everyday designated hitter with Bobby Bradley at first base. If the Guardians can sign, or acquire via trade, a middle-of-the-lineup-type hitter, it'd go a long way toward answering some questions related to the lineup. The only thing left would be to figure out who plays where among first base, DH and a corner outfield spot.

BULLPEN BREAKDOWN

The end of the bullpen is a real mystery. Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak, Nick Sandlin, Trevor Stephan and Anthony Gose figure to have the first five spots.

Sam Hentges did well in a bullpen role and could be the sixth, especially since he's out of options. Logan Allen, also out of options, could also be moved to a relief role. Justin Garza is at Triple-A but no longer on the 40-man roster, so he'd require a 40-man move, or one of the Triple-A starters and prospects (Eli Morgan, Tobias Myers, Cody Morris, Konnor Pilkington) could earn a spot, but the Guardians also need to keep starting pitching depth in the minors. It's likely that several non-roster invitees could be brought to camp to contend for this last spot, eventually requiring a 40-man roster move.

A look at the Guardians' possible current lineup

The current lineup would lean on quite a few unknowns if unchanged prior to Opening Day, which is unlikely. But for the sake of taking a look at where things stand, let's go through it anyway (ZiPS 2022 projections included).

1. Myles Straw, center field (2.8)

Straw was acquired at the trade deadline from the Houston Astros in an effort to finally, for the love of Tris Speaker, settle the question mark in center field. In 2021, Straw hit .271 with a .349 OPS to go with 30 steals and some great defense. That's exactly what the Guardians hope he can do again.

2. Jose Ramirez, third base (5.9)

He's a legitimate, every-season Most Valuable Player candidate on one of the most team-friendly contracts in baseball. And with the lineup as thin as it might be, he's also one of the most valuable players to his respective team in the game today. If he hits second, it's to get him as many at-bats as possible throughout the season.

3. Franmil Reyes, designated hitter (2.5)

He's evolved into one of the better power hitters in the game. Last season he slugged 30 home runs despite missing a large portion of the season. He has a place in the middle of the lineup for years to come.

4. Bobby Bradley, first base (0.8)

After Ramirez and Reyes, the amount of established track records available in the lineup falls off a cliff — there is potential for several young hitters to take a step forward, but it's something the Guardians would have to bank on as the lineup currently stands. Bradley belted 16 home runs in less than half a season of games in the majors, but he also struck out 99 times. He's done enough to warrant a further look, but remains a work in progress.

5. Amed Rosario, shortstop (2.3)

Rosario could hit higher in the lineup, especially against lefties. He posted an .839 OPS against lefties (.679 against right-handers) and in the second half hit .309 with a .796 OPS overall. Rosario, eligible for free agency after next year, could also be a trade target with the Guardians holding onto so many middle-infield prospects. Then again, it'd also make some sense to move one of those middle-infield prospects to address holes on the major-league roster. Basically, eventually, there's a pretty good chance a trade happens involving this position.

6. Andres Gimenez, second base (2.8)

Gimenez opened the year in Cleveland but was quickly sent to the minors after a ghastly start at the plate. He ended the year on a high note, hitting .271 with a .764 OPS in September. The Guardians are hoping his time spent in Columbus pays off long term.

7. Bradley Zimmer, right field (1.4)

Did Zimmer finally figure it out? Now 29, Zimmer had some stretches of brilliance in 2021, highlighted by several tape-measure home runs, including one to the second deck in right field that is rarified ground for a baseball. He's always had a tantalizing combination of skills. He did enough to earn at least another look in 2022 to see if he can build on this momentum, but consistency over an extended period of time has eluded him.

8. Austin Hedges, catcher (0.8)

The Guardians declined Roberto Perez's 2022 club option in large part because Hedges, another elite defensive catcher, was already on the roster. Hedges will occasionally hit a home run, likely hit for a very low average and manage the club's prized pitching staff with his game-calling. Manager Terry Francona has long put a premium on the defensive abilities of the team's catchers. Hedges is next in line.

9. Oscar Mercado, left field (1.2)

The Guardians opted to keep Mercado, who is still trying to rediscover his 2019 levels from when he was a rookie. There have been mountains of frustration along the way. Steven Kwan and even Richie Palacios could battle for this spot, and Nolan Jones could factor in the outfield somewhere as well.

Starting rotation set for Guardians

Barring injury, the Guardians' starting rotation is locked into place — the only question is what order will the group of five start the season. Shane Bieber will take the ball on Opening Day, followed by some order of Cal Quantrill, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie. The absolute mess the rotation went through in 2021 due to injuries ended up, through the smoke and debris, forming a clear top five.

If you're looking for possible position battles to watch this spring, move along. Aside from their pitching order, the Guardians can write down those five names in ink as long as they stay healthy.

Guardians 40-man roster moves that will be needed

Even before looking at who is available in free agency, there are a few scenarios that might require additional 40-man roster maneuvering, which is the first step in planning any moves. The Guardians protected as many young players and prospects as they could prior to the protection deadline, but the lockout has the fallout of that on hold.

Austin Hedges and Bryan Lavastida are the only catchers on the 40-man roster. Sandy Leon has already been signed to a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to major league camp. Unless Lavastida is on the active Opening Day roster, the Guardians will need to add Leon to the 40-man roster. So that's one move.

Even with Kwan, Palacios and Jones on the 40-man roster, the Guardians could add at least one hitter who can slide into a corner outfield spot, first base or designated hitter, which could simply slide Reyes or Bradley around. That's a second spot they'd need to clear from the 40-man roster.

And as with every year, the Guardians likely will invite a few (several) relievers to battle in camp for a bullpen spot (or even two), which would require a third and possibly fourth 40-man move.

The Guardians' 40-man roster as it stands today is full of middle infielders, both at the major-league and minor-league levels. Three utility infielders likely aren't needed on the active roster, so one of Miller or Clement could be headed to Triple-A (Chang is out of options). Chang and Miller, though, can play first base, which is needed as a backup to Bradley, especially if Naylor starts the year on the injured list. It also would make sense, if the right deal comes along, for the Guardians to trade one of the many middle infield prospects already on the 40-man roster.

Plenty of shuffling still needs to take place to get the Guardians' 2022 Opening Day roster set.

Potential Guardians targets

The Guardians certainly could look to the trade market to acquire an outfielder or first baseman to bolster the middle of the lineup. At the top of the trade list would be someone such as Cedric Mulllins, the Baltimore Orioles' young star. It would be a strong fit, considering Mullins is controllable through 2025, but it would also likely cost an arm and a leg — and then probably the other arm and the other leg. And maybe an eye. Probably the left one. And those boxes of old baseball cards, throw those in, too.

OK, you get the point.

The unlikely free-agent targets: Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto, Kyle Schwarber

Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber could all garner average annual values of somewhere around $18 million-$25 million. Considering Cleveland has signed one player at an AAV of roughly $20 million (Edwin Encarnacion, who was then traded), and considering the team's recent spending trends, this would be quite the aggressive financial reversal.

The more attainable free agents: Andrew McCutchen, Joc Pederson, Tommy Pham

Andrew McCutchen is now 35 and last year hit .222, though he also slugged 27 home runs and 24 doubles for a .778 OPS. He'd help to stabilize one of the corner outfield spots to not put quite as much pressure on Zimmer and Mercado to hit every day, and it would alleviate the need for Kwan, Palacios, Jones and eventually George Valera to contribute before they are ready.

Kwan, Palacios, Jones and Valera are all lefties, so the team does have plenty of young options from that side of the plate in the outfield (not to mention Zimmer), but Joc Pederson would, like McCutchen, help to stabilize the position with a hitter who has more of a major-league track record. Cleveland fans will remember the show he put on in the 2019 Home Run Derby.

It's possible Tommy Pham has dipped just far enough to be in the Guardians' price range. Pham finished 11th in National League MVP voting in 2017, had strong years in 2018 and 2019, but has struggled the past two seasons, posting a combined 1.4 fWAR. At 33 years old, a smaller market team could take a chance on a rebound.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Examining the Cleveland Guardians' 2022 roster as it stands today