3 Young Guardians That Should Receive Contract Extensions This Offseason
By Tyler Maher
After a disappointing 2023 season that saw the Guardians slip below .500 and finish third in the AL Central, there is much work to be done this offseason.
A lot of that revolves around finding a new manager to replace Terry Francona and beefing up the offense, but the winter is also a good time to lock up young players to contract extensions. If you know you want a guy to stay in your organization awhile, you might as well make it official and lock him into a below-market rate before he gets too expensive.
Fortunately Cleveland has lots of young talent, so there are plenty of players to choose from here. Here are 3 young Guardians players who deserve a contract extension this offseason.
3 Guardians Who Deserve Contract Extension
1. Bo Naylor
It didn't take long, but Bo Naylor has already proved he's the real deal.
The former first-round pick got his first extended taste of the big leagues in 2023, and he didn't disappoint. In 67 games, he slashed .237/.339/.470 with 11 homers, 13 doubles and 5 steals.
Those would be impressive numbers for a rookie at any position, but for a catcher they're pretty much unheard of. Catchers typically take longer to develop offensively because of all the extra work they have to put in on defense, but Naylor is already hitting like an All-Star at age 23. Aside from the occasional Buster Posey or Adley Rutschman, you just don't see that very often.
Naylor has all the tools you could ask for in a young ballplayer. Power? Check. Patience? Check. Speed? Check.
This is a guy who should only get better as he gains experience and gets more comfortable in the big leagues. He's going to be a star in this league for a long time and already should be our starting catcher for years to come. In order for that to happen, though, we need to lock him up long before he ever sniffs free agency, because by then he'll cost a fortune.
Yes, 67 games is a small sample size, but with Naylor's pedigree he's absolutely worth betting on.