Here is the Guardians’ potential Opening Day roster

In just 24 hours, videos will be posted all over social media of the beautiful sound of a ball cracking against a catcher’s mitt. Yes, that’s right, pitchers and catchers are reporting to Goodyear, Ariz., on Tuesday and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that baseball is back.

So of course, we have to jump in head first. How will everything pan out for the Guardians over the next six weeks? Let’s make our first, way-too-early roster projection of the season:

Catcher (2): Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges
Nothing new here. The Guardians are ready to have Naylor take the next step in his development and they were adamant about re-signing Hedges for the 2025 season in order to help Naylor continue to grow, while providing sound defense as his backup.

First base (2): Carlos Santana, Kyle Manzardo
Whoever is starting at first base on any given day, the other will likely take the DH spot in the lineup. Santana will probably take the predominant everyday first-base role, but this should allow Manzardo to see more time in the field, rather than simply DH. But there’s no question that these are the two first basemen who will be carried on the Opening Day roster.

Second base (1): Juan Brito
It wouldn’t be surprising if this answer flips back and forth between Brito and Gabriel Arias all spring. At times, it seems more plausible that Arias will be the guy they turn to on Opening Day, simply because of the organization’s history of steering clear of Minor Leaguers in the early weeks of the season. Arias’ bat has looked great in winter ball and maybe he’s the answer they’ve been looking for. However, the Guardians continue to express their extreme excitement at being able to see Brito at second base. It’s the reason they traded Andrés Giménez to the Blue Jays so that they could finally see this highly touted prospect (No. 8 in the Guards’ system, per MLB Pipeline) in the Majors. Until both can take the field this spring, we’ll guess Brito. Expect Tyler Freeman, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martínez to see time at second base, too.

Shortstop (1): Brayan Rocchio
The Guardians made it clear that they were committing to Rocchio at shortstop when they traded Giménez, who used to be viewed as a potential replacement for Rocchio at short.

Third base (1): José Ramírez
No surprises here.

Outfield (4): Steven Kwan, Lane Thomas, Will Brennan, Jhonkensy Noel
Kwan’s in left. Thomas is in center. It’s just whether the Guardians go back to the Brennan/Noel platoon once again in right. At some point, Chase DeLauter will certainly shake things up in the outfield. However, it’s more likely that he’ll get some time in Triple-A Columbus at the start of the season before he makes his debut.

Bench/Utility (2): Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman
Schneemann or Martínez could easily be one of the utility guys the Guardians carry, too. For now, we’ll trust that Arias’ improved offense during winter ball is here to stay and we’ll assume that Freeman’s experience in center field last year helps bring as much versatility to the bench as possible.

Starting rotation (5): Tanner Bibee, Luis Ortiz, Gavin Williams, Ben Lively, Triston McKenzie
It’s all going to come down to the fifth spot. McKenzie will try to prove that last year’s struggles are a thing of the past and that he can once again be trusted to take the ball every fifth day. Ortiz should be a nice addition to this rotation. However, the Guardians are in desperate need of starting depth. If McKenzie can’t get back into his old form, it will be difficult for this team to work around it yet again. Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen, Doug Nikhazy and Slade Cecconi could be options, too.

Bullpen (8): Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Paul Sewald, Erik Sabrowski, Andrew Walters, Slade Cecconi
Clase, Smith, Gaddis, Herrin and Sewald are all locks, assuming they stay healthy this spring. The final three spots are up for grabs. Given the way that both Walters and Sabrowski came up in September at the most critical time in the Guardians’ season and thrived, it seems easy to guess that they will be the first to fill these vacancies. Although Cecconi will be stretched out as a starter during Spring Training, we’ll predict (for now) that he’ll find his way to the bullpen. But keep an eye on Franco Aleman and Nic Enright, both of whom could work their ways to the Majors quickly.