4 Cleveland Guardians position battles to watch in spring training

2. Second Base

This is the position that has garnered the most attention for how things may play out this season in Cleveland. Second base is wide open following the Guardians' decision to trade Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays, and there is no shortage of possible options.

Gabriel Arias and Juan Brito appear to be the incoming favorites to win the starting spot, with the likes of Daniel Schneemann, Tyler Freeman, and Angel Martinez waiting in the wings to see time if either one of them is incapable of taking the job and running with it. Ideally, someone can take over as a full-time starter, allowing the part-time players to be deployed at other positions as needed.

The worst case scenario for the Guardians would be if they were forced into a time-share situation with no clear starter at second. Having no set starter and having to use multiple players following the trade of Gimenez would put additional pressure on a team that needs as much stability as possible. Cycling through multiple players at second would make it hard for anyone to get into a groove through consistent at-bats and could impact other positions that could also use the services of these utility players.