The Cleveland Guardians are among the biggest surprises of the 2024 MLB season thus far. The Guardians are now six games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central and own the third-best record in the league (56-32).
Cleveland is currently riding an 82-day winning streak and has solid grip over the Central this season. They haven’t yet had a month with play below.500. They probably have the most All-Stars representing the squad since they had six in 2018.
The club features José Ramírez at third base, Steven Kwan in the outfield, Emmanuel Clase as the closer, Josh Naylor at first base, and David Fry as a utility player this season.
Compared to last season, when they were a game below.500 and third in the Central at the MLB Trade Deadline, the Guardians are in a very different position currently.
In an attempt to make up for last year’s absence from the postseason, they’ll be trying to establish themselves as buyers. In fact, since acquiring Spencer Howard in a trade with the San Francisco Giants, they have already made an effort to strengthen their rotation.
This implies that in order to reach a fair agreement, prospective trading partners will go for some of the Guardians’ best possibilities. So let’s examine a few of Cleveland’s top players in case the organization decides to make any significant trades to increase their postseason prospects.
Despite having just the 19th-ranked Pipeline in the MLB, the Guardians still produce four of the top 100 prospects in the league, which might be important if they want to make a big statement at this year’s trade deadline. Does that imply, therefore, that any of them will come off? In my opinion, yes. Perhaps not all, though.
Outfielder Chase DeLauter is the top prospect for the Guardians; they selected him with their first-round selection in 2022.
Last season, DeLauter advanced from rookie ball to Double-A, where he hit.364 in just six games. This season, in 17 games, he’s only hitting.194/.301/.290 with one home run and three RBIs. The reason for his limited playing time this season has been a sprained right toe, though he is getting close to playing again.
Who knows if the Guardians would let go of Kyle Manzardo, their 23-year-old first baseman, who has already spent time in the major leagues this season. The top-30 MLB prospect has hit.207 with 17 hits, 10 doubles, and seven RBIs in 82 at-bats in 30 games, just surpassing the Mendoza line.
Of course, his Triple-A numbers were far more enticing. He’s slashing for the Columbus Clippers in 43 games.295/.394/.622, 13 home runs, and 31 RBIs with a 1.016 OPS. Manzardo’s money will be made at the plate because he is merely a mediocre defender. Teams ought to ask about him.
Daniel Espino, a right-handed pitcher, is probably going to be mentioned in trade discussions with prospective trading partners. Any noncontending team will be eager to add young, talented arms to their farm system, and the Guardians currently have the best arms in their pipeline in Espino.
Espino is ranked precisely 100th out of all the prospects in the league. The 23-year-old was selected by the Guardians with the team’s first-round selection (24th overall) in 2019. But the development of this potential right-hander has been severely restricted by health difficulties.
His rotator cuff will need to be repaired, meaning he will miss the entire 2024 season. This came after May 2022, when he was sidelined due to knee and shoulder issues.
With his arsenal that includes a wicked slider and a fastball that reaches 98 mph, Espino has all the makings of a future major league pitcher if he stays healthy. However, given his history of injuries, some teams would be wary.
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