6 storylines to watch as the Guardians enter 2026 spring training

While it may not look like it in Cleveland right now, but spring is right around the corner. We got another example of that this week when Guardians' pitchers and catchers reported to Goodyear for spring training ahead of the start of Cactus League play on Feb. 21.

And while there's no shortage of things to watch around the Guardians this spring, here are the six things we're going to be paying the most attention to.

These six storylines are going to define the Guardians' 2026 spring training

What is the Opening Day rotation?

The Guardians ended last season on a tear, which was due in large part due to a dominant stretch by their six-man rotation

They're going back to a traditional five-man rotation for 2026 which means they're going to have to navigate the good "problem" of having too many MLB-ready starters.

Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee seem to be locks at the top of the rotation which leaves three spots for Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, Parker Messick, and Slade Cecconi. While all six of them will likely see significant time in Cleveland, one is going to need to start the season in Columbus (so long as they're all healthy).

Can Daniel Espino stay healthy and is there a spot for him?  

At one time, Espino was viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and seemed destined to be the Guardians' next ace.

That's been derailed by injury, however, as he missed all of the 2023 and '24 season and nearly missed all of 2025.

He ended up finishing last season with 5 1/3 innings between Triple-A and the Arizona Fall League, which means that this will be the first time in a long time that he's entering spring training without a rehab plan.

Can he show that he still has the stuff that made him a top prospect? Would he be open to moving to the bullpen to try to save his arm? Espino will likely start the year in Columbus, but if he's healthy he could end up getting to Cleveland earlier than most people would expect. 

Is the service time game going to be played?

Chase Delauter spent all of last season in the minors before being called up to the bigs for the postseason.

That should help propel DeLauter into an Opening Day roster spot, but you can't talk about that without talking about his service time clock. While DeLauter made his MLB debut in the postseason, it doesn't count as an offical regular season apperance, so his service time clock hasn't been started yet.

The best way for DeLauter to make that a non-factor is by having a strong camp and forcing the Guardians' hand to have him in Cleveland to start the season. One factor in his favor is the fact the Guardians' outfield is currently Steven Kwan and a bunch of question marks. 

What's going to happen to the players who are out of options?

Nolan Jones, Gabriel Arias, and Bryan Rocchio all have a few things in common. They have shown flashes of production in the bigs but have also had stretches of very poor production. In a standard situation they would all have a tenous hold on a roster spot.

However, they are all out of minor-league options, which means that the Guardians would need to expose them to waivers to get them off the roster.

Jones struggled almost all of last season, but the outfield is thin enough that it is hard to see a world where he gets left off the roster. Arias has also been inconsistent, but is one of very few right-handed options in the organization. Rocchio has also been inconsistent, but has turned up his game in the biggest moments each of the last two seasons. It would take a lot for any of those three players to be left off the roster.

What's the plan against lefties?

Earlier this week, MLB released the projected Opening Day lineup for all 30 MLB teams, and the Guardians' lineup only had one right-handed hitter on it. While that would be a concern no matter what, it became even more pronouced last week thanks to Detroit signing Framber Valdez.

A few right-handed hitters to watch this spring are Stuart Fairchild and Johnathan Rodríguez.

Even though Fairchild is a below average hitting journeyman and Rodriguez has looked overmatched every time he’s seen major league pitching, they're likely competing against each other for a roster spot.

How does Travis Bazzana look?

The No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzana has shown flashes in the minors but has also struggled with injuries.

Even though it's unlikely that he starts the season with the Guardians, we should see him in at Progreesive Field sooner rather than later. He's going to leave camp soon to join Australia in the WBC, which will give us a great chance to see him compete against high-level arms in a pressure packed environment.

But whatever happens this spring we should all be happy about two things: Warmer weather and baseball being back.