The Cleveland Guardians are 1/6th into the 2022 season, and at 15-15, are a young, exciting team that may surprise fans on any given night.
The Guards can probably flirt with a Wild Card berth if their younger players keep developing. Terry Francona will also need some more consistency from his rotation, but it looks like things are improving after a shortened spring training kept Cleveland’s starters on a short leash.
It’s still early, but the Guards are hanging around the standings, as Minnesota and Chicago will be the teams to hang with.
The Guardians didn’t make any splashy free-agent signing or swing any trades after the lockout ended, but they did inflate their payroll with internal signings of Jose Ramirez, Myles Straw and closer Emmanuel Clase.
So, with a payroll around $70 million, maybe there’s a little wiggle room to make a move.
Here’s three legitimate candidates the Guardians should push for as Tito tries to take his team back to the postseason.
1. Cleveland Guardians should push for Sean Murphy, C, A’s
The Guardians aren’t concerned about offense at the catching position, which is why Austin Hedges is always in the lineup. The organization places a high value on his ability to work with the pitching staff.
Well, wonder if the organization could upgrade defensively and add some pop to the lineup? Enter Sean Murphy, who could be on the block around the trade deadline.
Murphy’s not going to make anyone forget Mike Piazza, but he would be more of a power threat than what the Guardians currently offer at the position. The Wright State and Centerville, Ohio product hit 17 home runs last season while driving in 59 runs. He’s only batting .211 this season, but has four homers.
Perhaps the biggest argument lies in the wRC+ number. This stat basically measures run creation and the league average is 100. Hedges’s wRC+ is currently 50, according to Fangraphs, while Murphy is at 114.
2. Cleveland Guardians should push for Andrew Benintendi, LF, Royals
We’ll see how things go, but if the Royals (9-18) continue to slide, the Guardians should make a push for the Cincinnati native.
They’d be renting him, as Benintendi is in the final year of arbitration and can be a free agent at season’s end. He’s making just shy of $8 million, which means the Guards would be on the hook for less than half of that if they make him a deadline pick up.
If they’re able to get him, Benintendi would bring a Gold Glove to the outfield, while adding some offensive to the lineup. He’s currently batting .327 (.768 OPS).
Steven Kwan isn’t going anywhere, and if the Guardians were able to swing this trade, he’d likely move to right field, where he’s played seven games already this season. Benintendi has never played right, playing a majority of the time in left, with a little time mixed in in center field.
A trade within the division seems like wishful thinking, but if things go south for the Royals, I don’t know if they can be picky.
3. Cleveland Guardians should push for Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles
I’ll admit it, even the world’s greatest salesman would have a hard time prying Cedric Mullins out of Baltimore, but the Orioles aren’t winning now and they’re probably not going to be winning next season, or the year after.
So at 27, and with Mullins set to get a big raise in arbitration this offseason, perhaps Baltimore would be willing to deal the player who hit .291 with 30 bombs last season.
It would take a lot to get him, but the Guardians have prospects to move. The big question hanging over Mullins would be where he plays. He’s played a majority of his time in center and the Guards won’t be moving Myles Straw.
He’s played just a handful of games in right field, so if he’s amenable to making the switch, pushing for this trad becomes a no brainier.
Unlike Benintendi, Mullins has three years of control reaming after this season. That fits the Guardians MO, although it would take a big prospect haul to reel him in.