4 Cleveland Guardians position battles to watch in spring training

Spring training is almost here, and the Cleveland Guardians truck is on its way to Goodyear, Arizona, and is set to arrive later this week. Once the festivities get underway, there will be a few areas of the roster that are not quite settled yet, and hopefully, things will become a littie more clear before the Guardians leave Arizona and get ready to start the regular season.

1. Right Field

This position really comes down to one of two options, Will Brennan and Jhonkensy Noel. Sure, Lane Thomas, Daniel Schneemann, Tyler Freeman, and Angel Martinez may make the occasional appearance here when called upon but expect the bulk of the time to go to Brennan or Noel.

Brennan is very much an average bat with not a lot of power while Noel is an all-or-nothing two-of-three true outcomes type. Who sees time here and how much sort of depends on how first base and designated hitter are handled, as Noel seems to be a better fit for those spots than the outfield.

Barring an extreme under or overperformance of either player, expect this to be a timeshare situation for most, if not, all of the 2025 season. That is unless Chase DeLauter or George Valera can make a push for playing time, and that is when things become a bit more complicated. DeLauter and/or Valera could very well make their MLB Debuts in 2025, but it seems like the Guardians are comfortable rolling with a Brennan/Noel combo in right until it is no longer viable.