Don’t be surprised if the Guardians make bold move with this top prospect in 2026

From the time the Guardians drafted Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, fans of the team have been dreaming about how he could help at the Major League level. 

He did nothing but hit in college at Oregon State, and has arguably been even better in the minor leagues. Even if he finished last year with .225 batting average in 26 games at Triple-A last season, he still had a .858 OPS thanks to a .420 batting average and .438 slugging percentage. 

And, depending on how things shake out this offseason, there’s a chance that Bazzana, who MLB Pipeline has ranked as the No. 17 prospect in all of baseball, could end up breaking camp with the Guardians next season. 

Travis Bazzana seems to have an outside shot to break camp with the Guardians next season 

The biggest thing that could hold Bazzana  back next season, outside of the Guardians adding an established second baseman, is an injury. In fact, Bazzana likely could have made his major league debut for the Guardians in 2025 if not for injuries. 

He missed two months at the start of the season thanks to an oblique injury that he sustained while at Double-A before suffering a season-ending left oblique injury in September while at Triple-A. 

But he still managed to rise through the minor league ranks even with those injuries, which sets him up for what could be a big 2026. 

The Guardians have plenty of utility options who could fill in at second, but none of them have the kind of prospect pedigree that Bazzana has. Daniel Schneemann is a great defender across the diamond, but he hit just .194 in the second half when given everyday at-bats. 

Meanwhile, Gabriel Arias has all the tools in the world and Brayan Rocchio is an incredible postseason performer, but the Guardians need to make a decision with one of them in the offseason due to the presence of Bazzana and fellow infield prospect Juan Brito. 

The Guardians may have too many cooks in the kitchen in their infield, but it’s time to make Bazzana head chef. 

They also shouldn’t change his position. While the Guardians haven’t spoken publicly about moving Bazzana to the outfield, they’re notorious for moving infield prospects to the outfield, with C.J. Kayfus being the latest example. 

Bazzana spent a week in Colorado last offseason working with now-former Guardians coach Kai Correa, along with completing a throwing program. His defense may still be a work-in-progress, but he's making progress in the right direction.

The Guardians need help in the outfield, but moving Bazzana out there while he’s also trying to become a major league second baseman would be a case of hustling backward.

While they have some major holes to fill in their lineup, promoting Bazzana at the end of spring (assuming he’s healthy and productive in the spring) is a no-brainer way to fill at least one of those holes.