Re: Articles
9736Could be wrong but it looks like the FO and Tito are sending some subtle messages to a few players.
Re: Articles
9738the Guardians don't have much else in the way of desirable trade candidates [with Bieber out]. What they do have is a lineup that could really use a power bat, preferably one who could man center field. No one's saying Cody Bellinger is headed to the Guardians, but they have the Minor League talent to make a move like that happen, assuming they're at all willing to part with it.
Every team needs a whole lot of 2b/ss so why should they trade any of them?
That said, most of them are struggling to hit 250 or reach 700 OPS so why should anyone really want them?
Every team needs a whole lot of 2b/ss so why should they trade any of them?
That said, most of them are struggling to hit 250 or reach 700 OPS so why should anyone really want them?
Re: Articles
9739LIST OF "17 PLAYERS MOST LIKELY TO BE TRADED AT THE DEADLINE" include these for whom Guardians are listed as possible match'
Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals
One of the Cardinals' impending free agents, Flaherty has pitched better than his overall numbers indicate. He's allowed three or fewer earned runs in 13 of 19 starts, including eight starts of one or zero earned runs. Flaherty, who is owed less than $2 million this season, has also pitched well in three of four career postseason starts.
Potential fits: D-backs, Giants, Guardians
Randal Grichuk, OF, Rockies
Grichuk has performed well in his 59 games this season, hitting .309 with an .850 OPS while playing all three outfield spots for Colorado. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is in the final year of his five-year, $52 million deal, with a little more than $3 million owed to him for the remainder of the season.
Potential fits: Brewers, Guardians, Yankees
Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals
One of the Cardinals' impending free agents, Flaherty has pitched better than his overall numbers indicate. He's allowed three or fewer earned runs in 13 of 19 starts, including eight starts of one or zero earned runs. Flaherty, who is owed less than $2 million this season, has also pitched well in three of four career postseason starts.
Potential fits: D-backs, Giants, Guardians
Randal Grichuk, OF, Rockies
Grichuk has performed well in his 59 games this season, hitting .309 with an .850 OPS while playing all three outfield spots for Colorado. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is in the final year of his five-year, $52 million deal, with a little more than $3 million owed to him for the remainder of the season.
Potential fits: Brewers, Guardians, Yankees
Re: Articles
9740Guardians sign Amir Garrett a LH reliever dumped by Kansas City
KC AL 0 1 3.33 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 24.1 22 11 9 4HR 476 0 20BB 0 28K .244 1.73 1.21
KC AL 0 1 3.33 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 24.1 22 11 9 4HR 476 0 20BB 0 28K .244 1.73 1.21
Re: Articles
9741I certainly remember Garrett. Tall lefty throws 100. Reclamation.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
9742Guardians trade deadline plan, team MVP: A temperature check at the 100-game mark
Cleveland Guardians José Ramírez and Josh Naylor (22) celebrate the team's 7-4 win over the Miami Marlins in a baseball game, Sunday, April 23, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Nick Cammett)
By Zack Meisel and Jason Lloyd
6h ago
CLEVELAND — The Guardians sit at 49-51 through 100 games, four games behind the Twins in the AL Central. Let’s check in with Jason Lloyd and Zack Meisel on the state of the team.
José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have carried Cleveland’s offense for much of the season. But let’s say you need someone other than those two to deliver a key hit for the Guardians, anyone else on the active roster. Who are you most confident would deliver?
Jason: I try to take the emotion out of questions like this and look strictly at the data (and let emotions break any ties). So here’s the data:
Guardians OPS leaders in late/close situations …
David Fry 1.417 (12 at-bats)
Tyler Freeman 1.038 (14 at-bats)
José Ramírez 1.025
Mike Zunino (!!!) .963
Gabriel Arias .907
Steven Kwan .869
Probably a few names you weren’t expecting. Naylor has 11 RBI in late/close situations and Ramírez has 10. Kwan and Will Brennan are tied with eight each.
With runners in scoring position and two outs, it’s again Fry on top with a 1.222 OPS (nine at-bats), followed by Amed Rosario (1.036). Rosario’s 14 RBIs in those situations, incidentally, are tied with Josh Bell for second-most on the team behind Naylor. Again, more names I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see.
I don’t love any of those options, frankly. Fry and Freeman, there isn’t enough of a sample size. I guess give me Kwan because of his bat-to-ball ability and the fact I don’t love any of the other options. But I have to admit, Bell graded out better than I was expecting.
Zack: Kwan has eight multi-hit games in 18 starts this month, and 12 multi-hit efforts in his last 29 starts. Reports of his demise might have been premature. He’d be my choice, but I’m growing more curious about what Bell’s final numbers will look like. Aside from one day in April, his OPS hasn’t been higher this season than it has been the last few days. I keep waiting for him to deliver a two-week stretch in which he carries the lineup and taps into his power the way Franmil Reyes would when he was clicking. Maybe that’ll finally surface. Or, maybe he’ll be a Guardian again in 2024.
Another question about trust: Outside of closer Emmanuel Clase, which three relievers who have appeared in a game for the Guardians this season (and remain in the organization) do you have the most faith in, in order?
Jason: I initially skipped this question and saved it for last. Now that I’m coming back to it, I still don’t have a very good answer.
Xzavion Curry was the first name that came to mind. Everything else has been some combination of gasoline, a match and some dry rags.
The fact they signed Trevor Stephan, and not James Karinchak, to a multi-year deal prior to the season tells you all you need to know about their faith in Karinchak. But it might be nearing time to give him another look. He’s only walked two batters in five July appearances. He will always be a bit erratic. He will always make Terry Francona thankful he doesn’t have any hair to pull out. But his stuff is still filthy when he’s right. And the Guardians simply don’t have any other great options back there right now.
Zack: What are Andrew Miller and Cody Allen up to? OK, I’ll settle for Jeff Manship and Scott Atchison. This is becoming reminiscent of 2018, when Cleveland’s pen was a disaster. I can’t shake the image of Alexi Ogando somehow winding up on the mound in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium, where he surrendered the lead in his only appearance with the club (the last one of his career). It’s been a mess, especially since the All-Star break, so much so that I actually considered tossing Michael Kelly, who has made four appearances, into the mix. I opted to keep Curry out of this equation since he’s filled 834 different roles. Instead, I’ll go with Enyel De Los Santos, Eli Morgan and Nick Sandlin, but this answer is essentially a revolving door.
Congratulations (?), you have swapped bodies with Chris Antonetti, “Freaky Friday” style. How are you approaching the upcoming trade deadline?
Jason: Wake me when it’s over.
Seriously though, this is a really difficult spot for Antonetti and this franchise to navigate.
I was all for trading Shane Bieber, but that seems impossible now. What other big moves are out there? I still believe there’s a “buyer’s” move that involves packaging a number of prospects for an impact bat with multiple years of control remaining, but we’ve thought that for two years now and it still hasn’t happened.
The inability to execute such a trade seems to be this franchise’s clot in the artery. It has left open sores in various spots across the lineup and clogged the 40-man roster. They aren’t any closer to solving the mystery of who is the long-term shortstop because Rosario is still here, they’re still two outfield bats shy of a major-league lineup and the pitching injuries this year have been devastating.
Zack, you and I agreed over the winter that adding another bona fide innings eater might be prudent for this rotation during this transition season from the Bieber era to the Bibee/Williams/Espino era, but the prices on a 2015 Toyota Camry are still pretty steep in MLB.
I guess you dangle Aaron Civale this week and gauge the market. I can’t imagine it will be overwhelming. I get he hasn’t proven to be durable, but he’s only going into his second season of arbitration next year. He can’t make more than, what, $5 million this winter? That’s better than any 2015 Camry.
I’m still trying to make the prospects-for-a-bat move, but obviously only for someone with multiple years of control. If that bat isn’t available, they might just have to sit this one out.
Shane Bieber (David Richard / USA Today)
Zack: I’m adding … pieces that can help in 2024 and beyond. I’d shop Civale to see if it’s worth selling high on the oft-injured pitcher. The Guardians’ rotation is already a mess and Civale hasn’t proved he can be counted on for six or seven innings per start. And if Bieber (now officially sidelined until at least Sept. 10) and Triston McKenzie can’t be relied upon to make an impact down the stretch, well, this might be a lost season anyway. The Guardians need outfield help beyond this season — I’m not sure I would bank on Oscar Gonzalez or George Valera or Will Brennan locking down a spot, and Myles Straw needs to be deployed in a more specialized role. (Straw officially reached 1 million minutes since his last home run, by the way, at 5:55 a.m. on Saturday.)
Regardless of whether Civale stays or goes, it’s probably worth exploring a back-end starter who can chew up innings so the rookie hurlers can survive the season in one piece. And I’d hand Rosario to any team willing to fork over a lottery ticket prospect, so Freeman and Arias can finally begin to demonstrate whether they can consistently hit big-league pitching.
Predict the Guardians’ 2024 Opening Day starting rotation.
Jason: Gulp. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Civale, Cal Quantrill and Logan Allen. I just don’t have faith McKenzie will throw a pitch before 2025, but I hope I’m wrong. If Civale gets dealt this week, Curry becomes the fifth starter if McKenzie is still healing post-op, although Joey Cantillo might not be far behind.
Zack: They really, really need McKenzie to avoid Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to pick up a baseball later this week. I’ll say McKenzie, Bibee, Williams, Allen and Quantrill.
Who is the Guardians’ team MVP through 100 games?
Jason: The numbers insist it’s still Ramírez — his 3.5 WAR is easily the highest on the team and a full win above second-place Kwan. But it sort of feels like the answer this year is Naylor. When I wrote before the season about guys I’d like to see the Guardians sign to long-term deals, Naylor wasn’t even on the list. He felt league average. Now he needs to be a priority.
After another dreadful start this year, Naylor has figured out how to hit lefties. He’s up to .275 against them for the season and he’s over .300 against lefty starters this year. It’s a huge breakthrough that cannot be overstated in importance. He’ll probably never win a Gold Glove, but his emergence as an impact bat in the middle of the order against both righties and lefties makes the Guardians winners in the Mike Clevinger deal from a few years ago regardless of what happens with Arias, Quantrill and Cantillo.
To put this another way, if you still want to crown Ramírez as team MVP, fine. I don’t see how anyone could argue that. But Naylor’s emergence might be the most important/impactful development in a season when not much else has gone right.
Zack: In March, I certainly wouldn’t have expected to be sitting here debating whether Naylor or Curry has supplied more value, especially considering Curry only made the Opening Day roster when McKenzie suffered a strained teres major muscle in his final spring start. The answer is Naylor, who has emerged as a legitimate, middle-of-the-order threat who can feast on both lefties and righties, a critical development for a team starved for offense. But Curry deserves a ton of credit for how he has handled every assignment tossed in his direction: starting, middle relief, mop-up duty. He has totaled 25 appearances. He twice allowed three runs, both in long relief in lopsided affairs. He allowed two runs in a five-inning effort after an early exit from Zach Plesac. Otherwise, in 22 appearances, he’s allowed more than one run on only one occasion. He’s been a savior for a limping pitching staff.
By Zack Meisel and Jason Lloyd
6h ago
CLEVELAND — The Guardians sit at 49-51 through 100 games, four games behind the Twins in the AL Central. Let’s check in with Jason Lloyd and Zack Meisel on the state of the team.
José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have carried Cleveland’s offense for much of the season. But let’s say you need someone other than those two to deliver a key hit for the Guardians, anyone else on the active roster. Who are you most confident would deliver?
Jason: I try to take the emotion out of questions like this and look strictly at the data (and let emotions break any ties). So here’s the data:
Guardians OPS leaders in late/close situations …
David Fry 1.417 (12 at-bats)
Tyler Freeman 1.038 (14 at-bats)
José Ramírez 1.025
Mike Zunino (!!!) .963
Gabriel Arias .907
Steven Kwan .869
Probably a few names you weren’t expecting. Naylor has 11 RBI in late/close situations and Ramírez has 10. Kwan and Will Brennan are tied with eight each.
With runners in scoring position and two outs, it’s again Fry on top with a 1.222 OPS (nine at-bats), followed by Amed Rosario (1.036). Rosario’s 14 RBIs in those situations, incidentally, are tied with Josh Bell for second-most on the team behind Naylor. Again, more names I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see.
I don’t love any of those options, frankly. Fry and Freeman, there isn’t enough of a sample size. I guess give me Kwan because of his bat-to-ball ability and the fact I don’t love any of the other options. But I have to admit, Bell graded out better than I was expecting.
Zack: Kwan has eight multi-hit games in 18 starts this month, and 12 multi-hit efforts in his last 29 starts. Reports of his demise might have been premature. He’d be my choice, but I’m growing more curious about what Bell’s final numbers will look like. Aside from one day in April, his OPS hasn’t been higher this season than it has been the last few days. I keep waiting for him to deliver a two-week stretch in which he carries the lineup and taps into his power the way Franmil Reyes would when he was clicking. Maybe that’ll finally surface. Or, maybe he’ll be a Guardian again in 2024.
Another question about trust: Outside of closer Emmanuel Clase, which three relievers who have appeared in a game for the Guardians this season (and remain in the organization) do you have the most faith in, in order?
Jason: I initially skipped this question and saved it for last. Now that I’m coming back to it, I still don’t have a very good answer.
Xzavion Curry was the first name that came to mind. Everything else has been some combination of gasoline, a match and some dry rags.
The fact they signed Trevor Stephan, and not James Karinchak, to a multi-year deal prior to the season tells you all you need to know about their faith in Karinchak. But it might be nearing time to give him another look. He’s only walked two batters in five July appearances. He will always be a bit erratic. He will always make Terry Francona thankful he doesn’t have any hair to pull out. But his stuff is still filthy when he’s right. And the Guardians simply don’t have any other great options back there right now.
Zack: What are Andrew Miller and Cody Allen up to? OK, I’ll settle for Jeff Manship and Scott Atchison. This is becoming reminiscent of 2018, when Cleveland’s pen was a disaster. I can’t shake the image of Alexi Ogando somehow winding up on the mound in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium, where he surrendered the lead in his only appearance with the club (the last one of his career). It’s been a mess, especially since the All-Star break, so much so that I actually considered tossing Michael Kelly, who has made four appearances, into the mix. I opted to keep Curry out of this equation since he’s filled 834 different roles. Instead, I’ll go with Enyel De Los Santos, Eli Morgan and Nick Sandlin, but this answer is essentially a revolving door.
Congratulations (?), you have swapped bodies with Chris Antonetti, “Freaky Friday” style. How are you approaching the upcoming trade deadline?
Jason: Wake me when it’s over.
Seriously though, this is a really difficult spot for Antonetti and this franchise to navigate.
I was all for trading Shane Bieber, but that seems impossible now. What other big moves are out there? I still believe there’s a “buyer’s” move that involves packaging a number of prospects for an impact bat with multiple years of control remaining, but we’ve thought that for two years now and it still hasn’t happened.
The inability to execute such a trade seems to be this franchise’s clot in the artery. It has left open sores in various spots across the lineup and clogged the 40-man roster. They aren’t any closer to solving the mystery of who is the long-term shortstop because Rosario is still here, they’re still two outfield bats shy of a major-league lineup and the pitching injuries this year have been devastating.
Zack, you and I agreed over the winter that adding another bona fide innings eater might be prudent for this rotation during this transition season from the Bieber era to the Bibee/Williams/Espino era, but the prices on a 2015 Toyota Camry are still pretty steep in MLB.
I guess you dangle Aaron Civale this week and gauge the market. I can’t imagine it will be overwhelming. I get he hasn’t proven to be durable, but he’s only going into his second season of arbitration next year. He can’t make more than, what, $5 million this winter? That’s better than any 2015 Camry.
I’m still trying to make the prospects-for-a-bat move, but obviously only for someone with multiple years of control. If that bat isn’t available, they might just have to sit this one out.
Shane Bieber (David Richard / USA Today)
Zack: I’m adding … pieces that can help in 2024 and beyond. I’d shop Civale to see if it’s worth selling high on the oft-injured pitcher. The Guardians’ rotation is already a mess and Civale hasn’t proved he can be counted on for six or seven innings per start. And if Bieber (now officially sidelined until at least Sept. 10) and Triston McKenzie can’t be relied upon to make an impact down the stretch, well, this might be a lost season anyway. The Guardians need outfield help beyond this season — I’m not sure I would bank on Oscar Gonzalez or George Valera or Will Brennan locking down a spot, and Myles Straw needs to be deployed in a more specialized role. (Straw officially reached 1 million minutes since his last home run, by the way, at 5:55 a.m. on Saturday.)
Regardless of whether Civale stays or goes, it’s probably worth exploring a back-end starter who can chew up innings so the rookie hurlers can survive the season in one piece. And I’d hand Rosario to any team willing to fork over a lottery ticket prospect, so Freeman and Arias can finally begin to demonstrate whether they can consistently hit big-league pitching.
Predict the Guardians’ 2024 Opening Day starting rotation.
Jason: Gulp. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Civale, Cal Quantrill and Logan Allen. I just don’t have faith McKenzie will throw a pitch before 2025, but I hope I’m wrong. If Civale gets dealt this week, Curry becomes the fifth starter if McKenzie is still healing post-op, although Joey Cantillo might not be far behind.
Zack: They really, really need McKenzie to avoid Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to pick up a baseball later this week. I’ll say McKenzie, Bibee, Williams, Allen and Quantrill.
Who is the Guardians’ team MVP through 100 games?
Jason: The numbers insist it’s still Ramírez — his 3.5 WAR is easily the highest on the team and a full win above second-place Kwan. But it sort of feels like the answer this year is Naylor. When I wrote before the season about guys I’d like to see the Guardians sign to long-term deals, Naylor wasn’t even on the list. He felt league average. Now he needs to be a priority.
After another dreadful start this year, Naylor has figured out how to hit lefties. He’s up to .275 against them for the season and he’s over .300 against lefty starters this year. It’s a huge breakthrough that cannot be overstated in importance. He’ll probably never win a Gold Glove, but his emergence as an impact bat in the middle of the order against both righties and lefties makes the Guardians winners in the Mike Clevinger deal from a few years ago regardless of what happens with Arias, Quantrill and Cantillo.
To put this another way, if you still want to crown Ramírez as team MVP, fine. I don’t see how anyone could argue that. But Naylor’s emergence might be the most important/impactful development in a season when not much else has gone right.
Zack: In March, I certainly wouldn’t have expected to be sitting here debating whether Naylor or Curry has supplied more value, especially considering Curry only made the Opening Day roster when McKenzie suffered a strained teres major muscle in his final spring start. The answer is Naylor, who has emerged as a legitimate, middle-of-the-order threat who can feast on both lefties and righties, a critical development for a team starved for offense. But Curry deserves a ton of credit for how he has handled every assignment tossed in his direction: starting, middle relief, mop-up duty. He has totaled 25 appearances. He twice allowed three runs, both in long relief in lopsided affairs. He allowed two runs in a five-inning effort after an early exit from Zach Plesac. Otherwise, in 22 appearances, he’s allowed more than one run on only one occasion. He’s been a savior for a limping pitching staff.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
9743can we give a family MVP to the Naylors? Bo's home runs are coming at a faster clip than Josh's. The pair are now at 19 homers and 87 RBI
That ties them with the Judge family for 8th in the AL in homers and far ahead of any other family in RBI [Josh alone is 3rd and only four behind the league leader]
That ties them with the Judge family for 8th in the AL in homers and far ahead of any other family in RBI [Josh alone is 3rd and only four behind the league leader]
Re: Articles
9744Dodgers trading Noah Syndergaard to Guardians for Amed Rosario: Source
Jun 7, 2023
By The Athletic Staff
13m ago
34
Save Article
By Ken Rosenthal, Fabian Ardaya and Zack Meisel
The Los Angeles Dodgers are trading starter Noah Syndergaard to the Cleveland Guardians for shortstop Amed Rosario, a major-league source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. ESPN first reported the deal, which is pending a review of medicals. Here’s what you need to know:
Syndergaard, 30, has a 7.16 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 55 1/3 innings this season — his first with the Dodgers.
The veteran underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, then put up a 3.94 ERA across 134 2/3 innings last season with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He will be a free agent after this season.
Rosario, 27, is batting .265 with three home runs and 40 RBIs this season. He will also be a free agent after the 2023 season.
Scouting report on Syndergaard
This isn’t the Syndergaard of old. This isn’t even the Syndergaard of a year ago, who fetched Mickey Moniak in a return at the deadline for the Angels. His stuff has continued to tick down and before he was dealt away, he was on the outs of a rotation that already has three rookies in it. But Syndergaard throws strikes and can log innings. Before the deadline, he profiled as an option for a club just trying to get through the season. — Ardaya
Scouting report on Rosario
Rosario has had a dreadful season defensively, ranking among the worst players at any position in FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average.
Jun 7, 2023
By The Athletic Staff
13m ago
34
Save Article
By Ken Rosenthal, Fabian Ardaya and Zack Meisel
The Los Angeles Dodgers are trading starter Noah Syndergaard to the Cleveland Guardians for shortstop Amed Rosario, a major-league source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. ESPN first reported the deal, which is pending a review of medicals. Here’s what you need to know:
Syndergaard, 30, has a 7.16 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 55 1/3 innings this season — his first with the Dodgers.
The veteran underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, then put up a 3.94 ERA across 134 2/3 innings last season with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He will be a free agent after this season.
Rosario, 27, is batting .265 with three home runs and 40 RBIs this season. He will also be a free agent after the 2023 season.
Scouting report on Syndergaard
This isn’t the Syndergaard of old. This isn’t even the Syndergaard of a year ago, who fetched Mickey Moniak in a return at the deadline for the Angels. His stuff has continued to tick down and before he was dealt away, he was on the outs of a rotation that already has three rookies in it. But Syndergaard throws strikes and can log innings. Before the deadline, he profiled as an option for a club just trying to get through the season. — Ardaya
Scouting report on Rosario
Rosario has had a dreadful season defensively, ranking among the worst players at any position in FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average.
Re: Articles
9746Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
·
1h
The Guardians plan to recall Oscar Gonzalez tomorrow to take Amed Rosario's roster spot
@ZackMeisel
·
1h
The Guardians plan to recall Oscar Gonzalez tomorrow to take Amed Rosario's roster spot
Re: Articles
9747Cleveland Baseball Insider
@CBI_FanNation
·
1h
Aftermath of the Amed Rosario trade:
- Oscar Gonzalez will be recalled from Triple-A
- Noah Syndergaard will travel to Chicago and throw a bullpen tomorrow
- Arias and Freeman to get time at SS
@CBI_FanNation
·
1h
Aftermath of the Amed Rosario trade:
- Oscar Gonzalez will be recalled from Triple-A
- Noah Syndergaard will travel to Chicago and throw a bullpen tomorrow
- Arias and Freeman to get time at SS
Re: Articles
9748Wow Megadeal!
Guards deal Rosario to Dodgers for washed up Former Met
Couple days ago the front office said we don't need an inning eater, we need a pitcher who can win games. 1-4 7.14 ERA now joins the roatation.
Guards deal Rosario to Dodgers for washed up Former Met
Couple days ago the front office said we don't need an inning eater, we need a pitcher who can win games. 1-4 7.14 ERA now joins the roatation.
Re: Articles
9749What the Amed Rosario-Noah Syndergaard swap means for the Dodgers, Guardians
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 25: Cleveland Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario (1) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run during the sixth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians on July 25, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel and Fabian Ardaya
Jul 26, 2023
Toward the end of spring training, Amed Rosario and the Guardians discussed a possible short-term contract extension. They failed to strike an agreement, and it signaled the beginning of the end for Rosario’s tenure in Cleveland.
He was bound for free agency at the end of the season. His performance dipped. His presence was preventing a stockpile of young shortstops from receiving opportunities (that part isn’t his fault). And now he’s gone, headed for Los Angeles in a swap for his former Mets teammate Noah Syndergaard, with the Guardians also receiving cash, sources confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday evening.
What Rosario can bring to the Dodgers
Even after the Dodgers reacquired Kiké Hernández on Tuesday, they had signaled an interest to add another right-handed hitter to supplement the short end of their platoon system. Rosario, who has scuffled in his walk year ahead of free agency with Cleveland, fit that bill at the cost of a starter who in all likelihood wasn’t going to throw another pitch for them.
Rosario has a .675 OPS this season, his worst year since the abbreviated 2020 season. But he retains the ability to hit lefties, with an .822 OPS against them this season and .816 OPS against them for his career.
The Dodgers have seemingly thrown quantity at the shortstop position after losing Corey Seager and Trea Turner to free agency in the last two seasons and losing Gavin Lux to a torn ACL and LCL in spring training. Miguel Rojas, who has started 63 games this year at short, has the best glove of them all but hasn’t provided the kind of offensive production the Dodgers had hoped for. Chris Taylor can be an option, especially against lefties. Adding Hernández gives them another player with shortstop experience, but he will likely bounce around everywhere else, especially now. Rosario’s glove has dropped off massively this season, but he has some brief outfield experience (though that experiment didn’t go well) and potentially could slot elsewhere in the infield.
Rosario is still just 27 years old. There’s reason to believe the Dodgers could extract more.
“He has tons of ability,” a rival scout said of Rosario after the deal. “If anyone can unlock it, it’s the Dodgers.”
Why Rosario was available in the first place
Rosario and José Ramírez, his close friend and locker mate, were the catalysts for the Guardians’ emergence as a division winner and a pesky postseason out in 2022. Manager Terry Francona leaned on them to set the tone with aggressive-yet-intelligent baserunning. It worked.
Rosario has been incredibly consistent the last few years (pandemic-shortened 2020 aside):
2019: .287/.323/.432 slash line
2021: .282/.321/.409 slash line
2022: .283/.312/.403 slash line
This year, his offensive numbers have suffered a bit — .265/.306/.369 slash line — but his defensive metrics have really cratered. He has the worst showing in Defensive Runs Saved of any shortstop in the league, per FanGraphs, at minus-15.
But the Guardians opted to keep playing him at shortstop and hitting him second, just ahead of Ramírez, on a daily basis, whereas a more specialized role might have suited him better. Only in recent days has Francona started to insert Gabriel Arias at short in the final innings when the Guardians are ahead.
So how can he help the Dodgers? Defensively, that’s a mystery. Rosario agreed to give the outfield a whirl in spring training in 2022, but he spent only six games in left field last season and never returned.
Offensively, if there’s one thing at which Rosario has long thrived, it’s hitting against lefties. He has posted strong numbers against southpaws every season of his career, including a .303/.345/.477 slash line against them this season. One other bonus: Rosario has become an efficient base-stealer, totaling 40 in 44 attempts during his two-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland.
The Guardians need to figure out what they have in Arias, Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio. They continue to stress they’re bidding to both contend and develop young players simultaneously, but they haven’t really done a ton of either this season. Arias and Freeman have spent most of the season on the bench, sometimes going a week without entering the starting lineup. Rocchio is waiting his turn in Triple-A Columbus, where he has little left to prove.
The club plans to recall outfielder Oscar Gonzalez from Triple A on Thursday to take Rosario’s roster spot.
Why Syndergaard was available in the first place
Syndergaard signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Dodgers this winter, representing the organization’s largest expenditure this offseason from outside the organization. The move, billed as another potential reclamation project for a Dodgers pitching infrastructure that had thrived in years past, backfired drastically. In 12 starts, he posted a 7.16 ERA before being sent to the injured list as much for a reset as anything else — he holds the fourth-highest ERA in franchise history for a pitcher who has made that many starts in a season. Yet despite burying him on a rehabilitation assignment, and needing pitching help themselves at this deadline, the Dodgers held out hope the shallow market for sellers would allow them to dump Syndergaard onto another club, a league source told The Athletic in recent weeks.
That they were able to address a need while doing it, without digging into their deep farm system, signals some creative thinking on the Dodgers’ part. They’ll need to dig into that farm system to address a rotation that has a 4.71 ERA and currently has three rookies alongside Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin — each of which are having down years. General manager Brandon Gomes said this week the hope is the club adds at least one starter before Tuesday’s deadline; adding to that depth becomes more prevalent after trading a starter away.
“Potentially seeking starting depth has been a topic of conversation that we’re certainly mindful of and we’ll see what happens,” Roberts said. “I know our guys are working hard to see if we can add some depth and raise the floor, raise the ceiling, any way you want to look at it.”
The Dodgers are engaged with the White Sox in talks to acquire Lance Lynn, league sources told The Athletic, though there are no indications that a deal is close. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday that the Rays are also engaged in talks to acquire Lynn. The expected return would be at least a mid-range prospect, a source said. While the Dodgers are on Lynn’s no-trade list, he would be willing to waive that clause if a deal is agreed upon, a source said.
What Syndergaard can bring to the Guardians
Literally, his right arm. They need bodies. Syndergaard is wrapping up a rehab assignment before he figures to join a Cleveland rotation composed of three rookies creeping toward innings limits, an injured list frequent flyer in Aaron Civale and a spot reserved for a regularly occurring bullpen day. Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie are sidelined until at least September with elbow injuries. Cal Quantrill could soon begin a rehab assignment as he recovers from a recurring shoulder issue. It’s a mess. Syndergaard should fit right in.
This is a guy, however, who has offered the following statements about his effectiveness, or lack thereof, on the mound this season:
“Not a lot of positive emotion right now when I think about pitching.”
“The more I struggle, the harder it is to get out of it, and every time I try to crawl out of it, I fall deeper and deeper.”
“I would give my hypothetical first-born to be the old me again.”
The surface-level numbers and the metrics do not paint an encouraging portrait for his prospects at rediscovering his old form this season. Perhaps the Guardians think they can pinpoint something within his mechanics or pitch usage. He did fare well in limiting hard contact last season, leading to a 3.94 ERA. But this isn’t the All-Star who used to average 99 mph on his fastball and strike out more than a hitter per inning.
The best traits going for Syndergaard in 2023, as it pertains to his new team: He ranks in the 98th percentile in walk rate, and he could soon be available to chew up some innings until the rest of the crew returns.
Syndergaard will meet the Guardians in Chicago on Thursday. He’ll throw a bullpen session and then figures to join the rotation in the ensuing days. The club needs a starter for Friday, but that is not expected to be Syndergaard.
By Zack Meisel and Fabian Ardaya
Jul 26, 2023
Toward the end of spring training, Amed Rosario and the Guardians discussed a possible short-term contract extension. They failed to strike an agreement, and it signaled the beginning of the end for Rosario’s tenure in Cleveland.
He was bound for free agency at the end of the season. His performance dipped. His presence was preventing a stockpile of young shortstops from receiving opportunities (that part isn’t his fault). And now he’s gone, headed for Los Angeles in a swap for his former Mets teammate Noah Syndergaard, with the Guardians also receiving cash, sources confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday evening.
What Rosario can bring to the Dodgers
Even after the Dodgers reacquired Kiké Hernández on Tuesday, they had signaled an interest to add another right-handed hitter to supplement the short end of their platoon system. Rosario, who has scuffled in his walk year ahead of free agency with Cleveland, fit that bill at the cost of a starter who in all likelihood wasn’t going to throw another pitch for them.
Rosario has a .675 OPS this season, his worst year since the abbreviated 2020 season. But he retains the ability to hit lefties, with an .822 OPS against them this season and .816 OPS against them for his career.
The Dodgers have seemingly thrown quantity at the shortstop position after losing Corey Seager and Trea Turner to free agency in the last two seasons and losing Gavin Lux to a torn ACL and LCL in spring training. Miguel Rojas, who has started 63 games this year at short, has the best glove of them all but hasn’t provided the kind of offensive production the Dodgers had hoped for. Chris Taylor can be an option, especially against lefties. Adding Hernández gives them another player with shortstop experience, but he will likely bounce around everywhere else, especially now. Rosario’s glove has dropped off massively this season, but he has some brief outfield experience (though that experiment didn’t go well) and potentially could slot elsewhere in the infield.
Rosario is still just 27 years old. There’s reason to believe the Dodgers could extract more.
“He has tons of ability,” a rival scout said of Rosario after the deal. “If anyone can unlock it, it’s the Dodgers.”
Why Rosario was available in the first place
Rosario and José Ramírez, his close friend and locker mate, were the catalysts for the Guardians’ emergence as a division winner and a pesky postseason out in 2022. Manager Terry Francona leaned on them to set the tone with aggressive-yet-intelligent baserunning. It worked.
Rosario has been incredibly consistent the last few years (pandemic-shortened 2020 aside):
2019: .287/.323/.432 slash line
2021: .282/.321/.409 slash line
2022: .283/.312/.403 slash line
This year, his offensive numbers have suffered a bit — .265/.306/.369 slash line — but his defensive metrics have really cratered. He has the worst showing in Defensive Runs Saved of any shortstop in the league, per FanGraphs, at minus-15.
But the Guardians opted to keep playing him at shortstop and hitting him second, just ahead of Ramírez, on a daily basis, whereas a more specialized role might have suited him better. Only in recent days has Francona started to insert Gabriel Arias at short in the final innings when the Guardians are ahead.
So how can he help the Dodgers? Defensively, that’s a mystery. Rosario agreed to give the outfield a whirl in spring training in 2022, but he spent only six games in left field last season and never returned.
Offensively, if there’s one thing at which Rosario has long thrived, it’s hitting against lefties. He has posted strong numbers against southpaws every season of his career, including a .303/.345/.477 slash line against them this season. One other bonus: Rosario has become an efficient base-stealer, totaling 40 in 44 attempts during his two-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland.
The Guardians need to figure out what they have in Arias, Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio. They continue to stress they’re bidding to both contend and develop young players simultaneously, but they haven’t really done a ton of either this season. Arias and Freeman have spent most of the season on the bench, sometimes going a week without entering the starting lineup. Rocchio is waiting his turn in Triple-A Columbus, where he has little left to prove.
The club plans to recall outfielder Oscar Gonzalez from Triple A on Thursday to take Rosario’s roster spot.
Why Syndergaard was available in the first place
Syndergaard signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Dodgers this winter, representing the organization’s largest expenditure this offseason from outside the organization. The move, billed as another potential reclamation project for a Dodgers pitching infrastructure that had thrived in years past, backfired drastically. In 12 starts, he posted a 7.16 ERA before being sent to the injured list as much for a reset as anything else — he holds the fourth-highest ERA in franchise history for a pitcher who has made that many starts in a season. Yet despite burying him on a rehabilitation assignment, and needing pitching help themselves at this deadline, the Dodgers held out hope the shallow market for sellers would allow them to dump Syndergaard onto another club, a league source told The Athletic in recent weeks.
That they were able to address a need while doing it, without digging into their deep farm system, signals some creative thinking on the Dodgers’ part. They’ll need to dig into that farm system to address a rotation that has a 4.71 ERA and currently has three rookies alongside Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin — each of which are having down years. General manager Brandon Gomes said this week the hope is the club adds at least one starter before Tuesday’s deadline; adding to that depth becomes more prevalent after trading a starter away.
“Potentially seeking starting depth has been a topic of conversation that we’re certainly mindful of and we’ll see what happens,” Roberts said. “I know our guys are working hard to see if we can add some depth and raise the floor, raise the ceiling, any way you want to look at it.”
The Dodgers are engaged with the White Sox in talks to acquire Lance Lynn, league sources told The Athletic, though there are no indications that a deal is close. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday that the Rays are also engaged in talks to acquire Lynn. The expected return would be at least a mid-range prospect, a source said. While the Dodgers are on Lynn’s no-trade list, he would be willing to waive that clause if a deal is agreed upon, a source said.
What Syndergaard can bring to the Guardians
Literally, his right arm. They need bodies. Syndergaard is wrapping up a rehab assignment before he figures to join a Cleveland rotation composed of three rookies creeping toward innings limits, an injured list frequent flyer in Aaron Civale and a spot reserved for a regularly occurring bullpen day. Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie are sidelined until at least September with elbow injuries. Cal Quantrill could soon begin a rehab assignment as he recovers from a recurring shoulder issue. It’s a mess. Syndergaard should fit right in.
This is a guy, however, who has offered the following statements about his effectiveness, or lack thereof, on the mound this season:
“Not a lot of positive emotion right now when I think about pitching.”
“The more I struggle, the harder it is to get out of it, and every time I try to crawl out of it, I fall deeper and deeper.”
“I would give my hypothetical first-born to be the old me again.”
The surface-level numbers and the metrics do not paint an encouraging portrait for his prospects at rediscovering his old form this season. Perhaps the Guardians think they can pinpoint something within his mechanics or pitch usage. He did fare well in limiting hard contact last season, leading to a 3.94 ERA. But this isn’t the All-Star who used to average 99 mph on his fastball and strike out more than a hitter per inning.
The best traits going for Syndergaard in 2023, as it pertains to his new team: He ranks in the 98th percentile in walk rate, and he could soon be available to chew up some innings until the rest of the crew returns.
Syndergaard will meet the Guardians in Chicago on Thursday. He’ll throw a bullpen session and then figures to join the rotation in the ensuing days. The club needs a starter for Friday, but that is not expected to be Syndergaard.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain
Re: Articles
9750News to me that they offered him a short term extension!!
This is long overdue. We need to look at Arias, Freeman and Rocchio. At the very least we can upgrade defensively at shortstop.
Look - realistically this team could win the division - still can - and maybe have some fun in the playoffs. But really they can only go so far.
Time to sort out the shortstop position.
This is long overdue. We need to look at Arias, Freeman and Rocchio. At the very least we can upgrade defensively at shortstop.
Look - realistically this team could win the division - still can - and maybe have some fun in the playoffs. But really they can only go so far.
Time to sort out the shortstop position.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain