3 things to watch for in the Guardians' spring training opener(s)

Guardians baseball is back. Kind of. 

Later today the Guardians will open their spring training slate with split-squad matchups against the Reds (at Goodyear Ballpark) and the Brewers (at American Family Fields in Phoenix). 

Although spring training matchups don’t mean much, they offer plenty of intrigue given how crucial they can be in providing teams with useful data for roster battles and players evaluation. 

And while the Guardians have plenty of established players on their roster (there’s no chance that José Ramírez is going to lose his roster spot in the spring), there are still plenty of things that are going to be worth watching this spring. 

Here are three of those storylines that are worth paying attention to right from the start

These three storylines will define spring training for the Guardians

Logan Allen taking the mound against the Reds

While spring training starts don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, this is a crucial spring for Allen, who will also be pitching for Panama in the World Baseball Classic. 

Allen threw a career-high 156 2/3 innings and posted a 4.25 ERA while mostly working as the No. 5 starter in the Guardians’ rotation. 

That spot isn’t guaranteed to Allen this spring however, as the Guardians have six MLB-ready starters vying for five spots along with having pitching prospect Khal Stephen lurking in Triple-A. 

But just because Allen’s days in the rotation could be coming to an end doesn’t mean there isn’t a way for him to help the Guardians in 2026 via the bullpen. 

Last season Allen had a week-long stint in the Guardians’ bullpen that seemed to help turn his season around, and he boasts enough potential that a move to the bullpen carries a bit of intrigue. 

A move to the bullpen would allow for him to put a little more on his fastball that averages around 90 miles per hour, while also helping him find a niche as a strong matchup option against left-handers. 

Steven Kwan’s defensive position

Even though most teams only play their starters for a couple innings in the spring opener, Kwan’s defensive position became a huge talking point on Thursday when Stephen Vogt said that Kwan could see some time in center this spring. 

Although both Kwan and Vogt were quick to say that’s nothing set in stone, it seems like both parties are willing to seriously consider moving him over to the middle of the outfield in an attempt to help add some more offense to the outfield. 

Moving Kwan to center would allow for the Guardians to play Chase DeLauter, George Valera and CJ Kayfus together more often since all three of them are better suited for corner outfield spots. 

Kwan’s been the game’s best defensive left fielder for the past four seasons, but the Guardians have backed themselves into a corner when it comes to their outfield. This is a story that won’t be going anywhere any time soon. 

Gabriel Arias playing everywhere

While Arias has moved around the diamond throughout his big league career, the 2025 season was the first time he could be considered “entrenched” at a single position given the fact that he made 106 appearances at shortstop. 

But he could be back to his utility ways in 2026, as Vogt said at the Winter Meetings that Arias will bounce around at multiple positions in the spring.

Arias has incredible power potential and an arm like a cannon, but his 34.4% strikeout rate was among the worst marks in all of baseball. 

The Guardians are clearly going to need to get more out of their offense in 2026, and a strong bounce-back season from Arias would be a great way for that to happen. 

But if it doesn’t then Arias could end up becoming the roster casualty for the promotion of Travis Bazzana or Juan Brito.