9 Guardians Who Won't Return in 2024
By Tyler Maher
3. Myles Straw
Straw's dismal 2023 campaign should be the last straw for Cleveland's front office, which must be tired of paying him millions of dollars for such poor performance.
Despite a late surge at the end of the season that boosted his numbers a bit, Straw's final batting line was horrendous. He slashed .238/.301/.297, finishing with a sub-.600 OPS for the second year in a row.
Straw has speed and plays good defense, but his bat is simply unplayable in the outfield. He has only 1 home run over the last two seasons combined and can't be bothered to even slug .300.
Making matters even worse, he also took a big step back defensively this season. Elite play in the field helped justify a roster spot in 2022, but without that in 2023 he didn't even look like he belonged in the majors.
The Guardians need far more production from their outfielders next year if they want to be competitive, and showing Straw the door would be a great start. He still has three more years of team control, but he's only going to get more expensive with his salary rising by at least $1 million every year.
Straw is still relatively cheap for a veteran outfielder and could be useful for a team looking for speed or better outfield defense. He still has some value, but he's not a good fit for the Guardians' current roster and needs to be traded ASAP.