The Cleveland Guardians won’t have an easy time repeating as American League Central Division champions.

The biggest challenge will be overcoming the loss of first baseman Josh Naylor and second baseman Andres Gimenez.

Cleveland traded them to Arizona and Toronto for financial reasons and due to concerns about Naylor’s conditioning.

Carlos Santana is back for his third stint in Cleveland. While he is 38 years old and a notorious slow starter, Santana has been remarkably durable and won his first Gold Glove award last year.

Kyle Manzardo will also see time at first base and designated hitter. The Guardians will rely on Manzardo and Santana to make up some of the 108 RBI that Naylor provided.

Another question is whether pitchers will respect Manzardo or Santana in the No. 4 spot in the lineup to protect third baseman Jose Ramirez.

THE SECOND SACK

Shortstop Brayan Rocchio and Ramirez are set on the left side of the infield, but the second base job will be up for grabs.

Tyler Freeman, Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann and Gabriel Arias are four of the contenders for the job.

They all filled utility roles for the Guardians last year. This is a golden opportunity for one of them to step up and seize the starting job.

However, they could all be overtaken by prospect Juan Brito. The 23-year-old Dominican hasn’t debuted in the majors yet, but he one of the team’s top prospects.

They could all be keeping the job warm for Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

If the 22-year-old Australian continues his rapid ascent through the minors, he could be in Cleveland by the All-Star break.

BEHIND THE DISH

Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges are back to share the catching duties.

Naylor has the starting spot, but the Guardians are hoping he can improve on his .201 batting average.

All-Star selection David Fry should return from an elbow injury in the middle of the season to help at catcher and designated hitter.