This week, the Cleveland Guardians made a surprising move by shipping out second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for fellow second baseman Spencer Horwitz, who has already been shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a separate trade.
Horwitz was expected to take over at second for Gimenez, but his long and storied Guardians tenure ended after less than one day, which one analyst says has cleared a path for another Guardian to take over the keystone position.
Andre Knott of ESPN Cleveland said on Wednesday that “Juan Brito is ready” to take over at second base and said there’s nothing left for him to do at Columbus.
"Juan Brito is ready," – @DreKnott on the Guardians trade and who takes over at second base. pic.twitter.com/8KT36rFSWs
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) December 11, 2024
Knott said that Brito has been the team’s best player in the minors over the last two years, posting a .807 and .811 OPS over the last two seasons.
Brito just turned 23, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be given a chance yet to take over at second base, as many expected after the Horwitz trade that 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana is next in line for the second base job.
It could be too early to declare either of them as next in line at second base, but it’s always exciting to see a new young talent emerge and add a new element to a team.
Gimenez has been declining offensively over the past three years, and injecting new talent into this lineup, whether on Opening Day or sometime during the 2025 season, should bring new excitement.
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