Before the off-season, the Cleveland Guardians infield plan was supposed to be having Andrés Giménez at second base and Brayan Rocchio at shortstop until Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, was ready for MLB.
At that time, the most likely scenario involved slotting Bazzana at second and sliding Giménez over to short.
Giménez was traded just a few days ago, though, and the team will likely have a spring training competition for the keystone between the likes of Juan Brito, Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, and possibly a veteran or two.
The Giménez trade, according to analyst Bruce Drennan, could accelerate Bazzana’s estimated time of arrival (ETA).
“Bruce Drennan thinks the Andres Gimenez trade means we’ll see Travis Bazzana VERY soon. “We might see him after the All-Star break. I would not be astonished if this kid was as good as everyone says,” Drennan posted on X.
Bruce Drennan thinks the Andres Gimenez trade means we'll see Travis Bazzana VERY soon.
"We might see him after the All-Star break. I would not be astonished if this kid was as good as everyone says."
Full show in free @BIGPLAY app: https://t.co/Ag5PaVPBge pic.twitter.com/waA0K9EayO
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) December 18, 2024
Bazzana had a 126 wRC+ in 27 High-A games.
His potential is much better than that, though.
He has things to work on: he hit .238 with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate at High-A.
Double-A and Triple-A pitchers will be much tougher, with better stuff and control/command.
If he dominates Double-A for a few weeks, he could put himself in the conversation for a call up.
The most likely scenario, however, is that the Guardians give him a full year in the high minors.
If that’s the case and he has a good season, then all bets are off for 2026.
A 2025 debut is certainly not impossible, though.
NEXT: Guardians General Manager Discusses Where They Will Invest Andrés Giménez Money
