Cleveland Sports Forum

The Cleveland Guardians’ 3 options with Amed Rosario at the trade deadline


By Zack Meisel
Jul 29, 2022
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Months ago, even weeks ago, Amed Rosario seemed destined to don another uniform. When Cleveland dealt Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets in January 2021, Andrés Giménez landed the lead role. Rosario was the supporting actor, a placeholder keeping shortstop warm until one of the Guardians’ umpteen middle-infield prospects forced his way onto the big-league roster.

A funny thing happened, though. Rosario kept hitting. He kept contributing in the clubhouse, where a major-league-toddler-filled roster believes it can win the division.

And so Rosario just … stayed. The guy renting the Airbnb changed all the locks, lowered the blinds, disconnected the phone lines and is lounging on the couch with his feet resting on the living room coffee table. This is his kingdom now.

A Rosario trade once seemed inevitable. But as he has become an integral part of the Guardians’ AL Central contention bid, moving him this summer has developed into a dilemma for the front office.

If the team faced more of an uphill climb toward playing meaningful late-summer baseball, or if Gabriel Arias and/or Tyler Freeman were performing at an undeniable level at Triple A, or if Rosario wasn’t deemed a leader on the league’s youngest roster, this would be a different discussion. Another team could present Cleveland with an irresistible offer before Tuesday’s trade deadline. But what was once seen as a foregone conclusion has become far more complicated.

Giménez garners the attention because he’s younger, has a higher ceiling, wields a more reliable glove and made the All-Star team. Yet Rosario has weathered a slow start for a second straight season to form the team’s flourishing table-setting duo with Steven Kwan atop manager Terry Francona’s lineup. The two opened the series opener at Tropicana Field on Friday night with back-to-back singles, a familiar sight lately.


Amed Rosario has slashed .294/.330/.405 with 28 extra-base hits. (David Berding / Getty Images)
It’s easy to identify Rosario’s faults. If he were infallible, a trade never would have been a consideration. He doesn’t walk much and doesn’t hit for much power, which explains his glowing batting average (.293 entering Friday, versus the league-average mark of .243) but only slightly above-average on-base and slugging percentages. He delivers his value via singles and hustle and hustle-caused singles. He does have 10 stolen bases and a league-high six triples.

Coaches have raved about the example he sets on the basepaths (as well as his influence on José Ramírez and younger teammates). And, really, his profile is representative of the team’s identity. The Guardians pride themselves on making a lot of contact, stringing together hits and applying pressure on the defense with their base running.

Rosario ranks in the 97th percentile in the major leagues in sprint speed and the 87th percentile in strikeout rate.

Rosario’s strikeout rate, 2021: 20.4 percent
Rosario’s strikeout rate, 2022: 14.6 percent

He has never been lauded for his defense at shortstop, but he has made strides over his 2021 showing. He has totaled five defensive runs saved (compared to minus-9 last year) and ranks in the 43rd percentile in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric (compared to the 17th percentile last year).

As a result, Rosario has already amassed 2.1 fWAR this season, nearly matching his mark of 2.4 from last season. It’s all left the Guardians with three options when determining how Rosario fits in their master plan.

Option 1: Trade him before the deadline
The central theme driving the conversation: Is Rosario more valuable to the Guardians or another team? Given how this season has unfolded, the answer is trending toward the former, especially if you ask those in the dugout or clubhouse.

Obviously, everything hinges on what Cleveland could acquire for him. To trade Rosario, there would need to be a suitor that can’t stand to go on without his presence in the lineup, spurring them to offer a return that team president Chris Antonetti can’t refuse.

There’s also the thought in the front office that Rosario was never part of the long-term blueprint, with a farm system stocked with middle-infield prospects. And this is a group that examines each decision on an individual basis; short-term sensibility doesn’t always win out over the sometimes-painful long-term play.

There hasn’t been much buzz about the infielder trade market. Rosario hasn’t demonstrated much defensive versatility, though he’s been willing to audition in the outfield in a couple of short-lived experiments in left and center. On the infield, he hasn’t strayed from short. That could limit his market a bit. But maybe some team covets his bat and wants increased production from the shortstop position, and it doesn’t want to wait until the offseason to court Carlos Correa, assuming he opts out, or Trea Turner.

Teams with the worst offensive output from their shortstops in 2022 …

Angels: Another year wasted with two otherworldly talents, making them sellers and not a match here.

Orioles: An impressive turnaround, but they don’t seem like a fit for a short-term shortstop.

Diamondbacks: Still building up, so not a fit.

Nationals: A team dangling one of the league’s top hitters won’t be in the market for a short-term answer.

Phillies: They have Didi Gregorius, though he’s been dreadful at the plate.

Giants: They might wind up being sellers, not buyers.

Tigers: They’re basically having an estate sale.

Pirates: Still building up, so not a fit.

Rays: No one ever knows what they’re up to, and Wander Franco is sidelined for a while, though this is the one team Cleveland hasn’t outwitted in trades in recent years.

Cardinals: If they land Juan Soto or they prefer to have Tommy Edman bounce around, they could be an option.

Padres: A.J. Preller is always interested in any player available for trade, though they might have more pressing needs.

A’s: They’re tearing down, not adding.

Yankees: Isiah Kiner-Falefa has essentially been a poor man’s Rosario at the plate.

The question is, even if the front office committed to shipping out Rosario, does any contender have something worthwhile to offer the Guardians? They already boast a top farm system, with many of their well-regarded prospects only a step or two from the majors.

Option 2: Trade him this winter
This might be the leader in the clubhouse for one of the leaders in the clubhouse. Delaying the decision gives the Guardians more time to evaluate Arias and Freeman (or trade one of them), and Rosario could still fetch them something moderately useful with one year of control remaining.

Rosario, 26, is in line to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 to $8 million via arbitration next season. After the 2023 campaign, he can become a free agent.

The downside to this option is the club needs to start learning about Arias and Freeman as soon as possible because Brayan Rocchio and Jose Tena aren’t far behind. But that’s easier said than done, with the division title up for grabs.

And, by the way, there’s another 40-man roster crunch lurking. So dealing Rosario for a couple of prospects who need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft will only contribute to the front office’s headache.

Option 3: Just keep him
Sometimes you search far and wide for love, and it was under your nose the whole time. Is Rosario the guy for whom the Guardians have been searching? There’s no guarantee any of the prospects eclipse his output or fit better with the team’s style of offense. But that’s where the organization must trust its evaluations and prospect projections.

Freeman carries the most similar hitting profile, but he’s probably best suited for second base or a utility role (which could work, since Giménez is more than capable of handling shortstop). Arias is more susceptible to whiffs, but is more highly regarded defensively. He’s had an uninspiring season at Triple A, though, stemming, in part, from injuries.

Part of the calculus is how other teams value Cleveland’s prospects. If there’s a disparity — if another team, hypothetically, treasures Freeman, but Cleveland isn’t high on Freeman — there’s an opportunity to capitalize on that contrast in evaluations. The Guardians can package a few prospects and land an established player at whichever spot on the roster they desire (think catcher or starting pitcher). On the other hand, there are constraints to Rosario’s trade value because of his contract situation and the already-exposed limitations to his profile.

It still seems doubtful Rosario will be the club’s shortstop in 2023, but that was also the case before the 2022 season. And yet, here he is, still wearing a Cleveland uniform, for at least another few days, and perhaps a few more months.

As pointed out in one of the articles, we've really got lots of clarity the first half of the season.

We now know Kwan, Naylor and Gimenez are keepers. With those now set in stone we can sort through the rest of the prospects with more direction.

The most obvious example is Gimenez. He is either going to play 2B or SS - now leaving only ONE of those open for oodles and oodles of candidates.

All the more reason to trade out of that glut of middle infielders who will not see Cleveland now that Gimenez is an all star.

How are AL Central contenders approaching the trade deadline?

Jun 22, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Gary Sanchez (24) safely slides into third base under the tag of Cleveland Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez (11) during the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
By Dan Hayes, James Fegan, and Zack Meisel
2h ago
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The trade deadline is fast approaching, the division standings have suddenly tightened and anything can happen. Seems like the perfect time for another American League Central roundtable.

Entering Saturday, the Twins held a one-game lead in the AL Central over the Guardians and a three-game lead over the White Sox. But a Twins pitching staff that has outperformed expectations is running out of gas in July, the Guardians have gained confidence and the White Sox are closer to returning to full strength.

James Fegan: Wow Dan, you weren’t lying about not having any ideas for the introduction.

In a race so tightly packed and so thoroughly mediocre, it’s easier for us as writers to convince ourselves that the trades we so breathlessly cover could actually be as transformative to the division race as we often make it sound. But since all three of these teams are at varying levels of “expected to be in this position” and “it matters for their contention window if they make the playoffs this year,” perhaps we could start by summarizing that. How much does your team really care?

Dan Hayes: The Twins definitely do. The issue is what it might cost them. And if they have enough to acquire the help. They need so much.

The Twins hoped that bringing Carlos Correa on board while getting rid of Josh Donaldson might lead them back to competitiveness after a dismal 2021 campaign. Their position side is very good and they’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of a pitching staff they cobbled together.

They’ve been very active talking to teams this month.

But the top of their farm system is a mess. Five of their best prospects (Royce Lewis, Austin Martin, Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino and Emmanuel Rodriguez) have been injured at some point this season. Their 2019 and 2020 first-round picks are having terrible seasons.

I don’t question the team’s desire. I’m merely wondering if they have enough minor-league parts to get anything significant done. They need at least three pitchers.

If they don’t have the necessary prospect capital, they potentially would have to trade Jose Miranda off the MLB roster or make another similarly painful decision.


Might the Twins have to part with promising young infielder Jose Miranda to get the pitching help they need? (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
Fegan: The White Sox can’t believe that things are this bad, but at the same time, things are conveniently not bad enough to concede defeat in the middle of a contention window with a ton of veterans on the roster being paid handsomely. Dad doesn’t want to turn this car around, and this roster has done just enough in July to ensure he doesn’t have to.

But they also believe they’re in the middle of a multiyear window and not living out the final half hour of a “Last Dance” documentary about José Abreu’s walk year. The farm system is a bit better, but only in the sense that they could put Colson Montgomery (last year’s first-rounder turned consensus top-100 prospect), Oscar Colás, Bryan Ramos or intriguing teenage right-hander Cristian Mena up for sale if they wanted to go above and beyond the rental market. But that level of mortgaging the future seems unlikely at this point, as much as this team likes to make a splash.

To draw a Miranda parallel, the Sox resisted calls to part with Andrew Vaughn for pitching before the season started. As much as their rotation still looks kinda leaky, Johnny Cueto has filled their open spot and Vaughn only seems more essential to their offense than he did in the past.

Zack Meisel: Hey fellas, mind if I crash the party?

The Guardians find themselves in a conflicted state. Before the season, after striking out on their offseason targets, they committed to playing the kids. They understood what that meant: Contention in 2022 was more wishful thinking than realism. But here we are, four months into a triple threat match that has featured nothing but sleeper holds, and what Cleveland’s front office thinks makes sense for the sake of the long-term blueprint doesn’t necessarily match what makes sense for the sake of trying to win a division title that could just fall into their lap.

That leaves the club in a position to do just about anything and everything. That starting pitcher who’s being made available? They’re in on him. A catcher, you say? Yeah, they’ve inquired. An upgrade in the corner outfield or at first base/designated hitter or in the bullpen? They’ve kicked the proverbial tires. But they’ve also considered parting with Amed Rosario or one of their starting pitchers.

So, to answer your question: Sure, they’ll accept this gift of pseudo-contention, but they’re still more concerned with the long game.


José Abreu, left, is in his walk year while Amed Rosario could possibly be used as a trade chip. (David Richard / USA Today)
Hayes: That’s where the Twins always are — thinking about the big picture. They operate as a risk-averse front office and haven’t made any blockbuster deals that include their best prospects being shipped away.

To make a significant move at this deadline, they’d need to be willing to overpay and I’m not sure I see it. I just imagine them looking at the price Seattle paid for Luis Castillo and thinking it’s not something they can afford. They definitely don’t have healthy enough front-end pieces to make that deal, which cost the Mariners two top-50 prospects.

But if they don’t do it now when they have Correa and Byron Buxton in their prime, then when is the right time?

I still think they’ll be active and aggressive in the rental market. Maybe Nathan Eovaldi becomes available and they push hard there. But if fans are looking for a Tyler Mahle-esque move, my prediction is they’ll be underwhelmed.

What do you guys think happens with your clubs?

Fegan: I haven’t found a single scout who thinks the White Sox have the farm system to get beyond the rental market, and that includes some defenders of a prospect group that was regarded as the worst in baseball in spring training. It’s a big accomplishment that the Sox have developed a legit top-50 prospect out of a late first-rounder like Montgomery, and that Colás could have top-100 buzz by the end of the year at this rate. But they also don’t have the impact prospects of that Castillo haul in the organization, let alone enough to cover multiple needs.

The rental market could do plenty for them, as they specifically need a lefty reliever and a lefty platoon bat in the here and now, and even pulling that off could make them less vulnerable in specific matchups. But Rick Hahn was openly lamenting the supply (which correlates to price) of the starter market, and they ultimately could live without adding José Quintana as a depth option if there’s a desperate run on him. It looks like they straight up won’t be able to afford Frankie Montas at this rate, since they weren’t able to line up on something this spring when their need was more acute.

Put me down for the Sox landing a reliever (maybe a second-straight bold play for another impact right-handed setup man) and a left-handed corner bat, but nothing that significantly lifts the burden off the team’s core. That should probably be encouraging for the Twins and Guardians, who have been watching said core underperform for four months.

Meisel: In the visitors clubhouse at Tropicana Field on Saturday morning, one Guardians player requested some insight into the team’s approach to the trade deadline. Even he mentioned how Chris Antonetti and company are usually tight-lipped about their plans.

It didn’t require an astrophysics degree to forecast that the club would trade Trevor Bauer in 2019 or Mike Clevinger in 2020. This time, things are a bit murkier. The possibilities are endless.

I don’t know if they’ll land Oakland catcher Sean Murphy, but for some in the organization, he tops the wish list. That boils down to the Athletics’ demands. Catcher is Cleveland’s most glaring short-term need. Is it a long-term need, though? They do have Bo Naylor destroying pitchers’ souls at Triple A.

Like every other team with a winning record, they’d love to shore up their bullpen. So maybe they toss a lottery ticket prospect to the Cubs for Mychal Givens or to the Marlins for Anthony Bass. They’ll dangle Zach Plesac and they’ll dream about the haul they could secure for Shane Bieber. They inquired about Castillo before the Reds shipped him to Seattle, so they’ll ask about other available starters, too. But here’s guessing they instead make edits to their rotation over the winter.

They’re basically in on everything, but there’s a chance they do nothing. They’re feeling the pressure to consolidate prospects and create space on their 40-man roster, though. Next year at this time, the team expects to be in full upgrade mode. At the moment, it’s a bit more complicated.

Cleveland Guardians prospects: Would you consider trading Daniel Espino?
by Joey Miller4 days ago

Cleveland has a number of enticing young prospects. Should they part with their highest-ranked one?

In the heat of trade season, one name stands out among them all.

Okay, that’s Juan Soto. But one name stands out among them all when it comes specifically to Guardians prospects: Daniel Espino, a right-handed starting pitcher and arguably Cleveland’s most exciting farm system member.

The 2019 first-round pick has always come with lofty expectations after he posted a 9-0 record and a 0.32 ERA his senior year of high school. So far, he has maintained that promise; Espino is the Guardians’ top-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He’s also the 11th-highest-rated prospect in any system.

Espino has all this acclaim despite never pitching above the Double-A level. In fact, while he’s been with Double-A Akron all year, he’s only started four games. Yet, scouts love him, and he’s one of Cleveland’s best assets.

With rumors of Soto trades and other blockbuster moves circulating, we should stop and ask: What is Espino worth to Cleveland? Should he be off-limits in trade discussions?

One potential issue is that Espino trails behind the rest of Cleveland’s youth movement. MLB Pipeline projects that he won’t reach the bigs until 2023, and as Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene has discovered, that transition is a bumpy one. It is safe to assume Espino won’t reach the caliber of pitching required to, say, start a postseason game until 2024 at the earliest. Meanwhile, many of Cleveland’s offensive prospects, including Nolan Jones, Steven Kwan, and Owen Miller, have already debuted. The contention clock might be ticking, especially for a small-market team that struggles to retain its youngsters after a few seasons.

A second question is how much value one starting pitcher brings to a team. We confront this issue every time a pitcher leads the league in WAR. Sure, MVP voters say, he was amazing when he pitched, but he only helped his team every fifth game. No starting pitcher throws in even 30% of a squad’s matchups. It’s true: Position players can contribute to every game in a series, whereas a starter can usually only help with one. The playoffs are an exception, but even then, most pitchers start two games at most.

A great example of this problem is Corey Kluber during Cleveland’s 2016 run. He went above and beyond in the World Series, putting his body on the line to start three games in a seven-game series. That’s three starts within nine days – instead of the regular five days of rest, he barely got three either time.

Despite his Herculean effort, Kluber still had zero impact on more than half of the games in the series. Such is the reality of starting pitchers. Even when they push themselves beyond what is, frankly, safe, they can’t contribute as regularly as position players. A designated hitter, for instance, can go on a postseason tear where he clobbers the ball at every opportunity (think of David Ortiz in the 2013 World Series). In doing so, he can score runs in each game of a series, whereas a pitcher like Kluber can’t contribute as often.

The upshot is that, when constructing a roster fit for contention, one starting pitcher can only do so much. How do you compare a great performance every four or five days to a right-fielder who gets on base 40% of the time and plays in almost every game?

A final wrinkle is that the Guardians have a strong history of developing good pitchers. Maybe it was just a lucky streak, but young arms like Cal Quantrill (and a previous iteration of Aaron Civale) make it seem as though Cleveland doesn’t have to bank on high-profile prospects like Espino. Perhaps they can continue rolling the dice and trust their coaches to craft effective pitchers once again. I’m aware that this is a gamble (and yes, I have heard of the hot-hand fallacy). But it is something to keep in mind.

In my view, these factors make Espino tradable if the Guardians feel they can get a regular hitter who’s under contract for a while (and who might agree to an extension with the team). Soto is likely out because his contract demands post-2024 figure to be astronomical. But suppose a position player who fits a need comes along. Imagine a hypothetical catcher who hits above average for the position and plays good defense. This catcher is fairly young and under contract for three more seasons. Is he worth acquiring in exchange for Espino and another developmental prospect or two? Maybe.

In the end, only the front office’s opinion of Espino matters. But what is the internet for if not evaluating real and imaginary trades? It is therefore worth asking: Would you trade Daniel Espino, and if so, for whom?

There is also the little matter of Espino's physical ability to perform.

He awed scouts in spring training.
He had a wonderful April for Akron and soared up in prospect ratings, named I think no. 12 in all of baseball by Baseball America.
Hasn't pitched in the last 3 months.

suggestion of MLB.com

The Guardians will land Sean Murphy.

Cleveland -- a surprise contender in the weak sauce AL Central -- is a really interesting club at this Deadline, with more legitimate prospects than it can protect on the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft and perhaps some money to spend after latching on with a new minority investor. The Guards could parlay their prospect stash to improve their catching situation (they are 25th in bWAR at that position) for now and the future (Murphy is under control through 2025) by making this move. They love catching prospect Bo Naylor, but he might not be ready for the everyday duties by the beginning of 2023, and this is not a bad department to have depth.

CLEVELAND -- It was June 9, 2016, that Will Benson began his professional baseball journey when Cleveland selected him in the first round of the MLB Draft. The almost 18-year-old fresh out of high school was convinced he’d be on the fast track to the big leagues -- maybe within the next year.

Instead, he had to wait an additional five years for his moment to come.

“Patience had to kick in quick,” Benson said.

That patience survived many trying times for Benson, whose slow progression through the Minor League system finally came to an end Monday night, when he made his Major League debut and scored the winning run in the Guardians' 6-5, 11-inning victory over the D-backs.

Benson replaced Franmil Reyes in in the ninth inning, batting seventh and playing right field. He came up to the plate in the 10th with two outs and a chance to walk it off, but he grounded out to end the inning.

However, that meant he started the bottom of the 11th as the automatic runner, and after moving to third base on Austin Hedges' sac bunt, he scored on Amed Rosario's two-out walk-off single, clapping and celebrating as he crossed the plate.

Why the Cleveland Guardians stood pat at the trade deadline and what it means


By Zack Meisel
Aug 2, 2022
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CLEVELAND — With two and a half hours remaining until the MLB trade deadline, one Guardians player described the day as one in which “the baseball world blows up, with everybody tracking it closely, including the vast majority of players.”

“You get a feel for the rest of the second half and how people feel about their chances,” he said.

The Guardians executed one trade Tuesday, as they shipped Sandy León to the Twins for reliever Ian Hamilton. The move fulfilled a promise to the veteran catcher that if a major-league job arose, the Guardians wouldn’t stand in his way of attaining it.

So, 6 p.m. ET came and went, and Cleveland — sitting one game behind Minnesota in the league’s most up-for-grabs division — opted not to add any reinforcements to the roster. Here are a handful of insights on the club’s decision to stand pat at the deadline.

1. The Guardians made several offers for Oakland catcher Sean Murphy, who ultimately remained with the A’s. Cleveland presented a few iterations of a prospect package, but the club preferred not to part with its top minor-league talent (George Valera, Daniel Espino, Gavin Williams), in part because of catcher Bo Naylor’s significant progress this year at Double A and Triple A. The two could have coexisted on the big-league roster next season, but the Guardians deemed Murphy more of an enticing trade target than a mandatory one, and thus, the two sides couldn’t find middle ground on the terms of a deal. Murphy is under team control through the 2025 season. It would make sense for the A’s to revisit dealing him this winter.

Cleveland checked in on Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, who can become a free agent after this season, but it didn’t receive glowing reports about his defense, handling of a pitching staff or clubhouse presence. (The Guardians weren’t the only team to take that stance, according to multiple sources.) Contreras would have represented a substantial upgrade at the plate over the Austin Hedges/Luke Maile tandem that has produced a .174/.272/.260 slash line this season. Chicago ended up keeping Contreras, despite his name surfacing in trade rumors for months.

For what it’s worth, Cleveland’s front office talked to the Nationals about Juan Soto, but the conversation didn’t last very long. The Guardians front office felt it wasn’t wise to part with a prospect package of that magnitude at this time.

2. The Guardians considered their standing in the AL Central race, their postseason odds and their chances of winning one or more playoff series when debating how aggressively to pursue upgrades. They have committed to a youth movement this season, and Andrés Giménez, Josh Naylor and Steven Kwan have cemented themselves as lineup mainstays. And it’s worthwhile for the organization to learn if Nolan Jones, Oscar Gonzalez, Will Benson and others can join them.

That said, catcher was a glaring spot the club could have upgraded without hindering the development of any promising young players. The bullpen fits that description, too. The Guardians opted not to acquire any relievers and instead watched the Twins add Jorge López and Michael Fulmer to their pen and Tyler Mahle to their rotation. (Manager Terry Francona sent Twins president Derek Falvey, a former Cleveland executive, a light-hearted text Tuesday afternoon that included at least one F-bomb.)

This is a team that has twice resorted to a Bryan Shaw/Kirk McCarty tandem in recent weeks. (Somehow, that duo has emerged victorious both times.) This is a team that has leaned on Ernie Clement in left field, a punchless catching duo and a bullpen that could use another dependable arm or two.

And even with those deficiencies, Cleveland is on Minnesota’s heels in the AL Central.

This is a young, energetic, tight-knit group. On Tuesday, Francona discussed the significance of team chemistry, saying, “I don’t know that people outside the clubhouse realize how important that is.” There’s also something to be said about demonstrating a belief that the club is capable of fending off the Twins and White Sox.

“There’s a lot we can build off of in this clubhouse right now,” that aforementioned player said Tuesday afternoon. “But at the same time, it’s always nice to continue to get better.”

Even if you think you’ve arrived a year or two ahead of schedule, it seems like a missed opportunity not to capitalize on a realistic chance at a ticket to the sport’s unpredictable postseason and add something. (Especially with the club’s best player at the peak of his powers.) There’s never a guarantee that future seasons will pan out as intended.

3. One other result of standing pat: The Guardians delayed solving any of the logjams that exist in the upper levels of their farm system. Giménez and Amed Rosario are entrenched as the big-league middle infielders, and although Gabriel Arias has authored a season to forget at Triple-A Columbus, there isn’t a clear path to regular major-league playing time for, say, Tyler Freeman (or Richie Palacios and Will Brennan). Brayan Rocchio’s ascension will only complicate middle-infield matters next season, so expect more dialogue this winter about the club seeking to consolidate a couple of prospects for an established big leaguer.

The Guardians will have another slew of prospects to add to the 40-man roster to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Unlike last winter, many of those prospects — Bo Naylor, Brennan and Joey Cantillo, to name a few — should be able to contribute to the big-league team in 2023. That wasn’t the case this year with prospects such as Rocchio, Jhonkensy Noel and Jose Tena, who needed to be protected but hadn’t reached the legal drinking age. Still, there should be some added incentive to deal from the wealth of well-regarded prospects to upgrade the major-league roster, especially since that didn’t take place this week.

4. The Guardians will evaluate Jones, Gonzalez and Benson in right field (and, in Benson’s case, first base) over the last two months of the season. That could bump Josh Naylor to designated hitter more often, which is possible because Franmil Reyes was optioned to Triple A.

It’s a sizable fall from grace for the team’s sizable Opening Day cleanup hitter. The Guardians were open to offers for Reyes, but it would have required an opposing GM somehow overlooking his 2022 stat line to offer anything worthwhile. Reyes, who’s usually reliable for 30 home runs and an .800 OPS, has looked lost at the plate all season. One has to wonder whether he’ll be non-tendered or traded for 25 cents on the dollar this winter. Through the arbitration process, he’d earn at least $4 to 4.5 million in 2023.

Benson, by the way, was the 11th player to make his major-league debut for the Guardians this season. He won’t be the last.

After an eerily quiet winter and a near-silent summer deadline, it’s now up to the league’s youngest roster to navigate the final two months of the season and attempt to find a path to the postseason.

Mark, always appreciate you posting these articles. We must read them at about the same time. Can not tell you how many times I have read something that was not posted here and come back and it is posted. Thanks again.

Just to add something that the article does not touch on. Teams have to be leery of trading with the Guardians. Not the Guardians fault but
the national media has written too many articles about how they have built their team through successful trades.

Mark you understand that from your fantasy sports background ! Any time you offered me a trade I cringed !

My good buddy HB used to do the same whenever I offered him a trade ! Unless it was a Buckeye !

Hey good to hear from ya old friend Russ! I miss those times and especially our old forum friend Jim Lyle - and Donna. And wish HB would find his way back here.

I do think Valera/Espino/Gavin all would be overpays for Sean Murphy. At the very most I might offer ONE of the pitchers and another prospect not at the top.

I am sure we were trying to get Murphy for Freeman or Arias and a couple of A ball pitchers.

Spots available on the major league roster for middle infielder roles currently occupied by:

Good guy, good defender Ernie Clement
Sac Fly king, solid 2b hitter, OPS 670 and a terrible glove man Owen Miller

Cleveland Guardians
@CleGuardians
·
22m
Some moves for those who have interest:
+ Recalled INF Tyler Freeman from Triple-A Columbus
- Optioned INF Ernie Clement to Triple-A Columbus