The Cleveland Guardians have refused to give up on Gabrial Arias, and it’s easy to see why. The 25-year-old still seems to have untapped offensive potential and natural power that a coaching staff can’t teach.

That said, the infielder is out of minor league options, and we’re starting to get a clear picture of the player he is at the big-league level.

After the 2025 season and heading into 2026, the Guardians have a dilemma, and Arias is at the center of it. 

Arias had an interesting season. He started the year at second base following the Andres Gimenez trade, but moved over to shortstop when Brayan Rocchio was optioned to Triple-A, and that’s where the 25-year-old spent the rest of the season on the diamond.

One thing stayed consistent no matter where Arias was played on the field: his defense was elite.

Arias had a fielding run value of positive two and ranked in the 84th percentile with four outs above average, which was the fourth-best among American League shortstops. Easily the infielder’s biggest strength was his range, with Arias’ arm strength ranking in the 94th percentile with an average velocity of 94.5 mph.

Looking ahead to 2026, Arias has a case to make the Opening Day roster based on his defense alone. That said, after over 1,000 career plate appearances, Arias is still looking for consistency in the batter’s box. 

The 2025 season was easily his most complete at the plate, but Arias’s OPS was still .638 with a 77 wRC+.

Those numbers only get magnified when looking at Cleveland’s lackluster offense stats as a whole. If Arias were playing in a league-average lineup or better, it would make sense to keep him in the starting lineup for his defense, but the Guardians don’t have that luxury.

The predicament the front office faces is deciding whether Arias’ defensive and streaky power is enough to warrant one of the two middle infield positions, especially with Brayan Rocchio putting it all together, and the looming shadow of a Travis Bazzana MLB debut at some point early in 2026.

Will the Guardians continue to give Arias opportunities, given his defensive ability, and hope that he can become a more consistent hitter? Or, will Cleveland put all their chips into a middle infield duo of Bazzana and Rocchio, leaving Arias as the odd man out?