The 3 Biggest Cleveland Guardians Storylines Heading into Opening Day

The Cleveland Guardians entered camp in Goodyear, Arizona, with more questions than answers. Questions that will range from Stegen Vogt's readiness in his rookie year as manager to whether this collection of bats will even score runs under the Arizona sun. As Clevelanders experience the bipolar vortex that is spring in Ohio, the Guardians have been preparing and evaluating a roster that largely remains unchanged outside of small, unremarkable moves during the offseason. That doesn't mean this team doesn't have intrigue entering the 2024 campaign as opening day in Oakland quickly approaches, so here are the biggest storylines heading into the regular season.  TYLER FREEMAN IN CENTERFIELD?In an organization clogged with middle infielders, you figured they would cross-train one of them to be an outfielder, right? In a move two years in the making, Tyler Freeman has been getting reps out in the outfield, particularly in center. Having played seven games in center field this spring, it is apparent that the organization, like most of the fanbase, is done with Myles Straw as an everyday player. He's also been showing the most promise of the candidates fighting for at-bats, slashing .286/.355/.429 in 28 at-bats, outpacing Estaban Florial, who the team traded for from the Yankees to help with the center field issues. The expectation is that Freeman will bounce around the field in a Ben Zobrist super-sub role, but don't be surprised if he roams center field in April.THE SHORTSTOP CONUNDRUMThe question on everyone's mind all offseason has been who Andres Gimenez's double-play partner will be. You wish that Bryan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias's play had been more inspiring so far. Obviously, you must take spring training sample sizes with a grain of salt, but it would at least help. If Bryan Rocchio, who, according to baseball reference, is facing the equivalent of a major league pitcher with an Oppenent Quality score of 8.2, that part makes sense. It's another when, on the other end of the spectrum, Arias has struggled against the equivalent triple-A pitching with a score of 7.2, especially when Arias has had 316 more plate appearances in the majors than Rocchio. It's not to say that anyone would ultimately win this battle in spring training, but most of us would've wanted someone to make an easier decision as we reached a critical season for both prospects. THIS ROTATION IS TOP 5..... WHEN HEALTHY. The old adage "you can't have too much pitching" never rang more true than in 2023. Triston Mckenzie and Shane Bieber's injuries, which limited the duo to 147 innings, pretty much wrecked the season, as we were subjected to Lucas Giolito, Noah Syndergaard, Hunter Gaddis, etc., to eat up innings and survive. Amid that chaos, promising seasons from rookies Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan T. Allen provided hope heading into this season, but it all hinges on McKenzie and Bieber to guide the youngers through eventual growing pains and possible regression. Nobody doubts the potential and importance of the rotation heading into 2024, but they'll need to be reasonably healthy to not only be above .500 but be in the playoff hunt in what will again be weak AL Central.