The Cleveland Guardians enter Spring Training after one of the quieter offseasons in recent memory. The team revamped a depleted bullpen, but did nothing to address the lineup.

After a winter filled with very few roster transactions, here’s what should be next for the Guardians.

The Guardians’ lack of offseason spending and below-average payroll could be forgiven if the team uses some of those finances to sign a player, or maybe even two, to a contract extension to keep them in Cleveland for the long haul.

The most obvious extension candidate this spring is Steven Kwan, who has two years of team control left. Signing Kwan to a long-term deal would shut down all the trade rumors and would certainly get the stamp of approval from fans, too.

If it isn’t Kwan, two other candidates who would make sense to sign extension offers are Kyle Manzardo and Gavin Williams. Although the ladder might be difficult, given his agent's (Scott Boras) history.

Still, after a quiet offseason, extending a player should be high on Cleveland’s to-do list while in Goodyear.

The Guardians have been stern that the reason they haven’t signed a hitter to a big-league contract is that they don’t want to block opportunities for the young core of Chase DeLauter, George Valera, CJ Kayfus, and eventually Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana.

If that’s the reason, then Cleveland can’t wait a month until the year to give them everyday roles.

The Guardians should be giving this group every opportunity imaginable to earn a spot on the roster coming out of spring training, and for players like DeLauter and Valera, who have already debuted, they need to be on the Opening Day roster. 

The Guardians enter another awkward season, trying to develop young players while contending. Given that Jose Ramirz isn’t getting any younger, he’s still playing at an MVP level, and the young core may not produce at the level the team is hoping for, Cleveland must be ready to pivot after the quiet offseason.

Chris Antonetti did admit during a press conference at the end of January that “we’ve always had the flexibility to address needs during the season, and if that’s the way the season shakes out, then we’ll be confident we’ll have the resources to do so.”

If it turns out Cleveland does need to change their original plan, it might not be able to wait until the trade deadline, or it's 15.5 games back in the division. The Guardians need to be ready to pivot. 

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