A closer look at the Cleveland Guardians’ outfield candidates



By Zack Meisel
Jan 12, 2024
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CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians brass has acknowledged the club needs more output from its outfield, quite the understatement after the group supplied a .654 OPS and a league-low 18 home runs last season. With pitchers and catchers reporting in one month, however, Cleveland has added only one new candidate to the mix: Estevan Florial, a 26-year-old with a .609 OPS in 134 career plate appearances.




A group sorely needing a talent transfusion has yet to receive one. So, let’s examine where things stand. The Guardians could carry as many as five of these outfielders on their Opening Day roster.

The lone, everyday guarantee: Steven Kwan
We know Kwan’s baseline: a solid leadoff hitter who makes a ton of contact, exhibits unparalleled plate discipline and strike zone awareness, can steal bases and wins Gold Glove awards. He expects more, though, and the key, he insists, is converting some of that contact into hard contact, with more extra-base hits and fewer bloops that he wishes fell to the grass between a pair of converging defenders.

Kwan is the least of Cleveland’s outfield concerns, and he now has two seasons of hitting results to dissect as he attempts to regain an upper hand against pitchers who know he’ll be patient and rarely whiff.


The veteran who fits … somewhere: Ramón Laureano
The Guardians could have cut Laureano loose at no charge but instead opted to pay him $5.15 million for this season, which will secure him at least semi-regular playing time. He’s probably best suited for a platoon role as a right fielder — he recorded a career-best nine defensive runs saved in right last season — but the way this outfield appears to be configured, it wouldn’t be surprising if he faced some righties, too, and factored into the mix in center. Laureano, by the way, was teammates with new manager Stephen Vogt with the Oakland Athletics in 2022.

Laureano vs. RHP

2021: .217/.285/.425 slash line
2022: .211/.272/.381 slash line
2023: .200/.290/.323 slash line

Laureano vs. LHP

2021: .304/.380/.478 slash line
2022: .210/.333/.358 slash line
2023: .270/.333/.460 slash line

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The guys who aren’t prospects anymore, so the clock is ticking: Will Brennan, Florial
Brennan and Florial have thrived in the minors and would seemingly have little to gain from a stint with Triple-A Columbus (and Florial is out of minor-league options anyway). Both can play center field. Both will be 26 years old this season. They’re drastically different hitters who face the same quandary: Can they consistently conquer major-league pitching?

Florial was a top-50 prospect, but that luster has faded. He went from being involved in every seismic New York Yankees trade rumor to being swapped for Cody Morris, a 27-year-old pitcher who, because of injuries, has logged only 242 innings in five years as a professional.

Here’s what The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote about Florial ahead of the 2021 season: “Florial has been all sizzle and no steak — he has tools to rival guys in the global top 50, but he doesn’t recognize pitches and has had huge swing-and-miss issues. … He has plus-plus power, can run and defend and has bat speed, but he’s going to have to at least show better pitch identification to get to any of those tools.” That, of course, was three years ago. Florial posted a .945 OPS and a 30 percent strikeout rate in Triple A last season, his third straight year spent mostly in Scranton.


Brennan posted a .266/.299/.356 slash line in his first full season, and though his contact rate came as advertised, his walk rate, hard-hit rate and chase rate ranked near the bottom of the league. He enjoyed a surge at the plate from May 29 to the end of June, registering a .942 OPS in 99 plate appearances, but (nitpicking here) that stretch included only three walks. It’s tough to sustain that sort of run for an entire season without proving pitches out of the zone aren’t enticing.

The guy with the contract: Myles Straw
It’s easy to pick on Straw because of his lackluster offense, but — well, no, there’s no “but.” If the Guardians hadn’t granted Straw a long-term extension before the 2022 season, he would have been arbitration-eligible by now and likely non-tendered. Instead, he’s guaranteed $4.9 million this season, $6.4 million next season, $7.4 million in 2026 and then another $1.75 million in the form of a buyout (unless the front office wants to exercise a 2027 option for $8 million). That’s a lot of money to swallow for a team with one of the league’s tiniest payrolls.

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Straw’s game revolves around speed and defense, but his defensive metrics slipped in 2023 (from 17 defensive runs saved to six) and, despite bigger bases and pickoff limitations, he went from 21-for-22 in stolen bases in 2022 to 20-for-26 last year. Those are still valuable elements, but not enough to offset his inept bat. This will be his age-29 season; he’s probably not going to get faster as he ages, and his .580 OPS the last two years has limited his base-stealing opportunities.

The front office has been blunt about needing more from him at the plate, and in Brennan, Florial and Laureano — Angel Martínez and Tyler Freeman have also taken outfield reps this winter — there are more intriguing (even if only slightly) offensive options who can cover center field, even if they can’t replicate Straw’s fielding acumen.

The unproven guys with the power: Johnathan Rodriguez, Jhonkensy Noel, George Valera
Rodriguez followed the Oscar Gonzalez path in hitting his way onto the 40-man roster right as minor-league free agency beckoned. His walk rate made a much-needed jump last season. In the middle of the 2022 campaign, he adjusted his bat path to get more out of his top-end exit velocities. (In other words, when you hit the ball particularly hard, make sure you’re being rewarded for it.)

Noel hit for a bunch of power but still produced only a 77 wRC+ in Triple A last season (meaning he was 23 percent less productive than the average hitter). He’s only 22, so he doesn’t have to be a finished product at this point, but elite raw power might not be enough to propel him to regular big-league playing time.

Valera went from a top-50 prospect with plenty of power and patience (and swing-and-miss potential) to a guy sort of lost in the shuffle because of injuries and inconsistency. How much of him realizing his potential is simply tied to staying on the field? This will be his age-23 season, so he’s young, but this feels like an important year for him.

Once again Meisel lays out what's in the G's outfield....nothing.

If they are serious about improving the outfield, they have to make some moves. If they really want to give the kids a chance, they have to move some of the deadwood blocking their path. Even Kwan should be movable.

Just from the inactivity so far, the G's don't seem to be interested in any major moves.

Looks like another season of "what you see is what you've got" and hope to get lucky.

Other than the Dodgers it seems like all teams are going very slow this offseason.

GUARDIANS

Did Guardians’ slugger get short changed by avoiding arbitration? Hey, Hoynsie

By Paul Hoynes

Published: Jan. 13, 2024, 9:53 a.m.

Hey Hoynsie: Should anything be made of Josh Naylor agreeing to an arbitration-influenced deal that was less than what he was projected to receive? -- John Kyle, Westfield Center, Ohio.

Hey, John: No, Naylor was projected to make $7.2 million in arbitration and on Friday settled for a one-year deal worth $6.55 million. MLB Trade Rumors’ projections aren’t written in stone. If Naylor didn’t like the deal, he could have gone to arbitration. With the success he’s had over the last two seasons, I think his chance of winning would have been good. The number that stands out to me is that Naylor went from a $3.35 million deal in 2023 to $6.55 million for 2024. He nearly doubled his salary.

Hey, Hoynsie: If the Guardians traded Shane Bieber and Myles Straw to Baltimore for outfielder Anthony Santander, would they receive a bigger return if they traded him in the offseason or at the deadline? -- Karl Garbo, Green Bay, Wisconsin (formerly from North Ridgeville).

Hey, Karl: There are different ways of looking at this. No. 1, if the Guards made such a deal before opening day -- Bieber and Santander will be free agents after this season -- the Orioles would have Bieber and Straw for the entire season. That could prompt a better return for Cleveland.

No. 2, if the Orioles are contending at the deadline, and are in desperate need of starting pitching, they could overpay for Bieber. Then again, if the Guards are contending they may decide to keep Bieber and ride him into free agency. I think they would have to have a convincing lead in the AL Central to do that.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why pay Shane Bieber more than $1 million over his projected arbitration salary for 2024 based on his performance from 2023? -- Bud, Arizona.

Hey, Bud: Projections are just that, projections. Bieber was projected to make $12.2 million and avoided arbitration by signing a one-year deal worth $13.125 million.

The difference between the two numbers, in the bizzaro world of MLB salaries, is walking around money. I’d say that projection by MLB Trade Rumors hit the nail on the head.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do the Guardians and White Sox ever do business? If so why don’t they trade Shane Bieber and Myles Straw for Luis Robert Jr.? -- California Mike.

Hey, California: When the Guardians traded Cesar Hernandez to the White Sox on July 29, 2021, it was just the fourth trade between the two teams in 27 years. But if Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff were able to pry Robert loose from the White Sox for Bieber and Straw, they may be arrested for grand theft. Robert hit 38 home runs last year. The entire Cleveland outfield hit 18.

Hey Hoynsie: Do you think Michael Brantley, who just retired, was appreciated by the local and nation media when he played for the Indians/Guardians? How much consideration do you think he will get for Cooperstown? -- Andy Mees, Sandusky.

Hey, Andy: Brantley played 10 years in Cleveland and I think he was appreciated by the local and national media. Most of all I think he was appreciated by former manager Terry Francona, the coaching staff and his teammates on and off the field.

I think Brantley will make the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot one year -- an honor in itself -- but I do not think he’ll be inducted by the writers. Don’t take that the wrong way. I think he was a talented player, and a fine hitter.

Hey, Hoynsie: Have you heard anything about the Guardians finally getting their City Connect jerseys this year? -- Matt, Seattle.

Hey, Matt: I’ve been told the Guards’ City Connect uniforms will be unveiled at some point this offseason. Right now that process is controlled by MLB, which has put a top secret stamp on it. I hope such secrecy is not a reflection on how they look.

Hey, Hoynsie: Can the Guardians still afford to sign a free agent such as Whit Merrifield now that they’ve spent over $30 million on seven players who were eligible for arbitration. -- Mike Hoffman.

Hey, Mike: I do not see the Guards making a big free agent signing this offseason. The uncertainty of their TV contract, along with their traditional frugal approach to roster building, works against that.

I like Merrifield, but he turns 35 later this month and the Blue Jays declined an $18 million mutual option on him for 2024. Of course, things can change if a free agent is still unsigned in February or March.

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News and Notes:

Jose Ramirez Working Out in Bani

By Quincy Wheeler Jan 13, 2024, 8:04am EST

The Guardians posted some photos of José getting some work in at his home in Bani, Dominican Republic.

Jon Heyman reported that teams are telling him the Guardians are now unlikely to trade Shane Bieber.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked International Prospects and listed the teams with which they are expected to sign. Robert Arias, a 17 year old centerfielder with a 45 FV, is the only projected Cleveland player to make the list.

Zack Meisel looked at the sorry state of the Cleveland Guardians' outfield for the Athletic.

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7. Robert Arias, OF, 17, 6’2”/180

Arias fits the mold of the kind of hitter that Cleveland loves to sign on the international market: a strong athlete with advanced bat-to-ball skills. Having a lean and projectable body, Arias could tap into more power and end up with above-average skills across the board if all clicks.

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https://twitter.com/i/status/1571296323130871809


Cleveland #Guardians are favorites to sign very highly touted left handed hitting OF prospect Roberto Arias out of Bonao, Dominican Republic. Arias trains out of Bases Loaded Baseball Academy. He is not eligible to sign until 1/15/24 International signing day.

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Guards would be better off letting Bieber show what he can or can't do up until the deadline.

Shoot if he does well his value would be MORE than it is now even though only for a half season. The doubt would be removed.

I think they are asking for a haul. Look what they got for Civale ! Bieber is worth more to the Guardians success this season than what they are being offered. If they could sign a player with Bieber's ability to a one year contract at 13 million for one year they would. So this is a special situation where your fall back is the trade deadline or a compensation draft pick. Not bad to hold on to a lottery ticket that may win you a division title.

REPORT: Cubs Interested In Trading For Guardians' Emmanuel Clase

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly eying Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in a trade.

TOMMY WILD 1/16/24 1 HOUR AGO

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than a month. However, the offseason is far from over with some of the top free agents still unsigned. These looming decisions may cause teams to seek a trade as a backup plan.

This may be the case for the Chicago Cubs as they are reportedly keeping an eye on the Cleveland Guardians closer, Emmanuel Clase. Bruce Levine, who is a baseball analyst for WCSR-AM and 670thescore.com, reported that the Cubs are interested in Clase.

This isn't the first time that Clase's name has come up in trade rumors this offseason. Jeff Passan mentioned before Winter Meeting that Cleveland was open to dealing him. Then Ken Rosenthal elaborated on the situation and reported just before the new year that the Guardians could package Clase and Shane Bieber together to get the maximum return for the two pitchers.

Clase is coming off an inconsistent 2023 season where he was among American League Leaders in both saves and blown saves. He finished the year with a 3.22 ERA, 1.156 ERA, and 2.91 FIP.

The 25-year-old's true value is in his contract. Clase signed a five-year $20 million extension before the 2022 season. This means he's under an ultra-team-friendly deal through the 2028 season in an era where bullpen pitching comes at a high price.

Edwin Diaz signed a five-year $102 million contract, the richest of its kind of a reliever, before the 2023 season. All-Star closer, Josh Hader is still a free agent and is looking to break that record with his contract.

There's no doubt that the Guardians could get something substantial for Clase if they do choose to trade him. Will the Cubs make an offer enticing enough for Cleveland to make a move?

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BRAYAN ROCCHIO #4

Guardians Prospect Sends Confident Message From Winter Ball

By Andres Chavez

January 16, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians are set at third base and second base.

Those are the positions where Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez, two of the stars of the roster, play.

However, shortstop remains up for grabs, and there is nothing that the Guards would love more than for Brayan Rocchio to take over the position and run away with it.

Rocchio has the defensive skills and the offensive potential to be an above-average shortstop, even if his 2023 numbers at the MLB level weren’t exactly good.

He just turned 23, so he is still very young and hasn’t hit his ceiling as a player.

He is still honing his skills and developing as a hitter, especially.

For now, he is playing in Venezuela’s winter league, LVBP (Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional), and leaving a major impression.

All day pic.twitter.com/avdOYCWhrE

— Brayan Rocchio (@rocchio05) January 16, 2024

As you can see in the Twitter post he sent this week, his confidence level is also at an all-time high.

“All day,” he wrote, and he has the numbers to back that up.

In 20 games in Venezuela this season, he is hitting .377/.457/.541 with a .998 OPS, one homer, and two steals.

He is essentially leading Tiburones de La Guaira, his team, to the Finals.

Tiburones is 10-1 in the “Round Robin” phase, where five teams compete for two spots in the final.

The next-best team, Cardenales de Lara, is 6-6.

Barring a disaster, Tiburones will play in the final.

They are doing it all without Ronald Acuna Jr.; led by Rocchio, Yasiel Puig, and others.

For Rocchio, competing at such a high level represents solid experience for him.

The Guardians sure hope he can translate that form to the regular season.

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Diamond Sports to receive Amazon investment in bankruptcy plan: What does it mean for MLB, NBA, NHL?

By Evan Drellich and Mike Vorkunov
58m ago

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Diamond Sports, the bankrupt broadcaster that carries the rights to 37 sports teams across MLB, the NBA and NHL, has arranged a $450 million plan with creditors that would allow it to continue operating beyond 2024, pending court approval. But the exact potential impact on Diamond’s partner sports leagues — 11 teams in MLB, 15 in the NBA and 11 in the NHL — wasn’t immediately clear, and many questions loom.

Amazon has agreed to invest $115 million in Diamond, people briefed on the arrangement who were not authorized to speak publicly said. With the benefit of Amazon’s Prime service, Diamond is projecting that direct-to-consumer revenue will grow from $49 million in 2023 to $658 million in 2026, according to projections the company shared Wednesday morning.

If the deal goes into effect, Amazon will have a 15 percent stake in this new company, Diamond Sports said. Amazon will also have the ability to invest another $50 million within nine months of the execution of the deal.

This year was potentially going to be Diamond’s last in operation before liquidation. But Diamond intends to shed some teams’ TV deals while keeping the digital, direct-to-consumer (DTC) rights agreements it currently has.

For example: While Diamond has the rights to broadcast 11 MLB teams’ games on TV, it has the digital rights to only five of those teams.

“The business plan contemplates that the Company retains and continues to use its current suite of DTC rights,” Diamond wrote in a summary of the plan it shared publicly Wednesday. “The business plan assumes that the existing rights portfolio is shrunk to reduce projected losses associated with certain team rights contracts.”

Diamond said in its news release Wednesday: “Customers will be able to access all local DTC content, including live MLB, NBA and NHL games, and pre- and post-game programming, for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights, through Prime Video Channels.”

A court hearing that could shed more light was scheduled for noon ET Wednesday. Amazon declined to comment. MLB and the NBA did not yet have comment.

With the expectation it would be breaking up, Diamond had previously reached contingent arrangements with the NBA and the NHL regarding 2024 operation, and was set to end its agreements with teams in each league after the 2023-24 season, and was deep into negotiations with MLB over a similar arrangement. But the new arrangement appears positioned to supersede the deals the NBA and NHL reached, and could significantly alter negotiations Diamond has been having with MLB. A person briefed on the negotiations said Diamond is prepared to honor the financial terms it agreed to with the NBA and NHL for 2023-24, and is open to negotiating longer-term agreements. If this new agreement is approved by the judge, those NBA and NHL teams will still be under contract with Diamond Sports beyond this season if their original contracts ran that long.

The summary that Diamond shared publicly Wednesday noted that the new arrangement goes into effect only if “the terms of the NBA Term Sheet and the NHL Term Sheet… shall not have gone into effect,” and that Diamond “shall not have entered into any other similar arrangement or transaction with any of the Sports Leagues.”

MLB and Diamond were discussing an arrangement for 2024 that would have revised rights fees for at least some teams — certainly the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers, whom Diamond has threatened to drop for 2024. The arrangement under negotiation likely would have returned all MLB teams’ rights to them following the ’24 season.

Diamond’s digital rights to baseball teams for ’24 were also likely to expand as well as part of any deal. The talks had also included the Minnesota Twins, a 12th MLB team. Diamond carried the Twins in 2023, but the deal between the two expired after the season.

But with Diamond now poised to carry forward beyond 2024, the tenor of any negotiations with MLB might now change. An MLB team executive who spoke to The Athletic on Wednesday morning said his team was still trying to figure out what the Diamond-Amazon partnership would mean for his team’s TV rights.

Meanwhile, the NBA and NHL already had reached the type of deal MLB was working on.

The deal between Diamond Sports and the NBA would have reverted all rights to the NBA and teams after the 2023-24 season — instead of the original longer agreements.

The NBA deal also carved out the ability for those teams to broadcast a number of their games on over-the-air channels in their local markets. The New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks have already done so, and have scheduled 10 games each on broadcast television in their markets.

I think this deal is going to be good for baseball and its fans.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated OF Oscar Gonzalez for assignment.
10:00 AM · Jan 17, 2024
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Replying to @EvanDrellich

Lawyer for Diamond re-emphasized that there are three MLB teams still up in the air for 2024. He didn't name them, but they are the Guardians, Rangers and Twins. Basically, lawyer said there are terms that have been offered for 2024, and question now is whether they're taken.

The G's were expecting 60-65M for the 2024 broadcast rights from Bally. If Bally is still interested in the G's, I'm sure the price will be lower.

The Amazon deal might be good for Baseball, Rusty, but the G's might get left out in the cold.

It pisses me off when I read a headline that doesn't jive with the article.

I saw the headline that said "Guardians sign 2 of the top 100 propects"( Delauder and Rocchio) like it was a big deal for the Guardians .

The 30 teams in Baseball should sign 3 just to be average.