How Gabriel Arias’ lack of options could impact the Guardians this spring 

Gabriel Arias has everything a player needs to succeed in modern baseball. An arm like a howitzer and a glove that can move around the diamond. A swing that can send a ball 420 feet. 

But the one thing he has been missing throughout the first couple years of his career has been the consistency needed to be an everyday player. 

But this spring is a huge one for the 26-year-old since he’s out of options, which means the Guardians would need to expose him to waivers if they wanted to remove him from their roster. 

The Guardians have plenty of things they need to figure out in regard to their Opening Day roster, but perhaps the biggest question they need to answer is whether Arias or fellow out of option middle-infielder Brayan Rocchio will do enough to survive the entire 2026 season. 

Gabriel Arias’ lack of minor league options could complicate things for the Guardians in 2026 

The biggest thing that’s held Arias back throughout his career has been his lack of plate discipline, which has led to him having far too many at-bats where he’s walked back to the dugout with the bat in his hand. 

In fact, Arias had the worst contact rate and strikeout rates among hitters with 400+ at-bats last season. That’s simply not going to cut it. 

While that wouldn’t cut it in any situation, it’s especially not going to cut it when the Guardians have Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana waiting in the wings. 

Cleveland’s roster picture got a little tighter over the weekend when they signed Rhys Hoskins to a minor league deal that will eventually lead to him being on their big league roster, so there’s only so many bench spots to go around. 

Even if Arias’ utility player profile could help him earn a little more time on the roster, he seems like the obvious roster cut whenever the Guardians are ready to call up Bazzana and Brito.

Both prospects have played well this spring, as Bazzana slugged a home run against the Dodgers earlier this week and Brito went yard against the Mariners on Wednesday.

It’s hard to believe the Guardians would cut Arias before the end of spring training, but usually players in his situation don’t end up surviving past April once they start struggling. 

Arias and Rocchio ended last season as the top dogs in the Guardians’ outfield picture, but both of them are set to enter 2026 on thin ice. While it’s hard to believe that ice would fall out from underneath them during the spring, it’s going to be one of the biggest storylines to watch in Guardians’ camp this spring.