The Cleveland Guardians are in a heated battle to chase down an American League Wild Card berth with just a couple of weeks left in the season, and after winning eight of the past nine games, they remain 3.5 games back.
While all the focus is on the playoff chase, the front office still has other priorities in order to make sure the future is as bright as possible, which is why the team was named as the favorites to sign an intriguing shortstop prospect this offseason.
Guardians Prospective shared on X that Cleveland is favored to sign switch-hitting shortstop Karel Naranjo out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, though he is not eligible to sign until January 15th, 2026.
Cleveland #Guardians are favorites to sign switch hitting (SS) prospect Karel Naranjo out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Naranjo trains with Mickey's Prospect Academy. He is not eligible to sign until the 1/15/26 International signing day.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/mD3BHxj4hf
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 13, 2025
Naranjo has a smooth swing from both sides and is the kind of high-upside talent this organization needs, and he’d be a great addition to this team’s future plans.
Cleveland fans surely hope that 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana can hold down the second base spot for the foreseeable future, perhaps as early as next season, but it never hurts to sign a potential franchise-altering shortstop whenever you have the opportunity to do so.
Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio have done a solid job holding things down up the middle this season, but neither projects to have the kind of offensive firepower this organization needs.
Cleveland has arguably the league’s worst offense, and while he may not be able to fix that next season, signing Naranjo is a step in the right direction.
NEXT: Insider Believes 1 Guardians Pitcher Is An Emerging Ace
