Cleveland Guardians rumors: Luis Castillo, Austin Heges, Zach Plesac

If you’re a fan of the Cleveland Guardians aggravated by a lack of production from the catcher position, while also gnashing your teeth every time Bryan Shaw gets called to the bump, this trade chatter is for you.

ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote a paragraph on trade rumors involving the Guardians and looked at the current status of catcher Austin Hedges and the aforementioned Shaw.

Olney contended that teams looking for catching depth may be interested in picking up the Guards’ backstop, who can be a free agent at season’s end. Defensively, Hedges is regarded one of the best in the business. Plus, a lineup that’s better than Cleveland’s can afford to absorb his outs.

When he’s in Cleveland’s lineup, it’s hard to watch the bottom of the order, especially when Terry Francona decides to put Ernie Clement at third base. Factor in Myles Straw, and while he’s been better lately, he’s still a .215 hitter who gets on base at a .303 clip.

Olney didn’t elaborate on Shaw, but teams are always looking for relief arms–and that includes Cleveland. It’d be the steal of the year if Cleveland could get anything for him, although it doesn’t make sense. If the Guardians don’t want him, why would another contender?

Shaw’s been a part of some major head scratchers this season, as Francona continues to lean on him in high-leverage innings. It hasn’t worked out well, particularly of late.

Cleveland Guardians have the goods for Luis Castillo

Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, there’s nothing stopping the Cleveland Guardians from making a deal for Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo. Castrovince talked trade during an appearance on The Baskin and Phelps show, which airs on 92.3 The Fan.

This trade is a lot more desirable now than it was just two months ago. Aaron Civale can’t stay healthy. Shane Bieber’s velocity is down. Zach Plesac has just been OK–and is the subject of trade rumors.

Adding Castillo, a two-time All-Star, would solidify the rotation for the rest of this season, as well as next. He can be a free agent after the 2023 campaign.

Acquiring Castillo would cost “Two high-end prospects and maybe another guy or two,” according to Castrovince. He added that in this market, where there isn’t a lot of staring pitching available, it may take three high-end prospects to pry Castillo out of Cincinnati.

Adding Castillo would be a real get for the Guards, but it’s like the Juan Soto trade talk, to a lesser degree.

The Guardians can’t afford to let guys walk for nothing, and that’s probably what would happen at the conclusion of next season.

Now–and this is just speculation–if they pick up Castillo and extend him, then let’s go. Cleveland was rumored to have made an offer to Bieber, which was reportedly turned down. Using that money to lock in Castillo keeps the front of the rotation strong (Triston McKenzie) while Bieber will eventually be flipped for prospects.

As for Plesac, Castrovince listed Plesac as the Guardian who may be the most likely to be traded because he could see a situation where Cleveland’s front office takes advantage of the market demand for quality starting pitching.