seagull wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 3:44 pm

rusty2 wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:54 pm Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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14m
#Guardians transactions

RHP Noah Syndergaard placed on the 15-day IL (Right Finger Blister) & reassigned to minor leagues.

Mystery injury.

He's on the IL till the pitching geniuses in the minors can "fix" him.

Agree seagull. They think they have a shot at fixing the guy and are basically taking a free flier.

Syndergaad pitching on Monday against Houston. IL must be retroactive.

Noah Syndergaard is ready for a fresh start: ‘I’ve had a lot of cooks in the kitchen’ LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Noah Syndergaard #43 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on April 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
Jul 27, 2023



CHICAGO — The Guardians and Dodgers had discussed the Amed Rosario-Noah Syndergaard swap, but they hadn’t made enough progress to prevent Rosario from joining the Guardians’ team flight to Chicago on Wednesday evening.

Terry Francona was about to chow down on Chick-fil-A from his seat on the plane when his phone rang. The two sides had agreed to the terms of the deal. Francona met Rosario on the tarmac before the shortstop boarded the plane and ushered him beneath an overhang to discuss the situation.

“I wanted to be respectful to Amed,” Francona said, “as respectful as you can be on a tarmac.”

This was the second time, Francona said, that he had to deliver a player some career-altering news before a flight departure. Once, when at the helm in Boston, he shouted to a player he was being optioned to the minors, with the plane’s engine roaring beside them.

Syndergaard, meanwhile, caught a redeye to Chicago, where he met his new teammates and coaches at Guaranteed Rate Field. He met with Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis on Thursday afternoon and then played catch. He’ll log a more intense bullpen session on Friday and is in line to make his Guardians debut Monday night in Houston.

“He’s a guy with a really good pedigree,” Francona said. “He’s kind of fallen on hard times this year. I think what Carl said to him was really good. We asked him, ‘What’s important to you?’ So often, I think managers and pitching coaches start out and they just talk. We wanted him to talk. And he did, he did a good job. Carl was like, ‘OK, let’s simplify things. I’m not gonna say anything to you right away. I want to watch. I don’t want to just jump in and make shit up.’

“We told him, we just want to see the best of him. If we see that, everybody’s going to be happy.”

Syndergaard’s schedule sets up Cleveland’s rotation in this manner:

Friday: Xzavion Curry
Saturday: Logan Allen
Sunday: Aaron Civale
Monday: Syndergaard
Tuesday: Gavin Williams
Wednesday: Tanner Bibee

As for the shortstop position, Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman will audition for the new opening. The Guardians also recalled outfielder Oscar Gonzalez. Francona met with the position-player group on Thursday and told them, “We’ll mix and match, maybe more than we have.” Francona wouldn’t commit to Andrés Giménez being the new, everyday No. 2 hitter, despite penciling Giménez’s name in that spot the past two days.

“I don’t want to take it for granted, just the fact that there’s more playing time,” Arias said. “I’m going to do what I have to to work hard and provide results because I know the organization has several very competitive, good players on the infield, so I want to make sure I put the effort in to try to help the team.”

Rosario, for better or worse, had a stranglehold on the shortstop gig for two and a half years. He was a streaky hitter who torched lefties and didn’t fare as well against righties, and his defense cratered in 2023. Rosario did steal 40 bases in 44 attempts during his Cleveland tenure, and his relentless hustle helped to fuel the Guardians’ aggressive brand of baseball last season.
Amed Rosario was successful on all nine of his stolen-base attempts for the Guardians this season. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)

“I reminded them of that today,” Francona said. “That’s how we have to play. Losing a guy like that, we have to continue (to do it). Amed was a big, big part of that.”

Syndergaard, meanwhile, is searching for something resembling his old, All-Star form. The 30-year-old registered a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts for the Dodgers this season, with career lows in whiff rate and chase rate, and he was brutally honest about his performance along the way, offering such summations as: “I would give my hypothetical first-born to be the old me again.”

A candid Syndergaard met with a few reporters from the bench in the visitors’ dugout on Thursday, his first day with his fifth team in the last 21 months.

On his initial feelings about the trade: “It’s definitely been a lot of emotions. It’s a balance between a lot of excitement and a little bit of just disappointment in myself because my time with the Dodgers didn’t necessarily go as planned. Didn’t really blossom into the pitcher I wanted to be. But maybe just a fresh start with the Guardians is really all I need to bounce back and just start fresh.”

On what the team told him about expectations and what lies ahead: “I wouldn’t say there’s much expectation. I just really appreciate the already open and honest dialogue that I’m getting from Tito. I understand it’s a really young team. I just want to add some value in veteran leadership to the young guys and just work on being the best version of Noah I can be.”

On his health and his rehab assignment: “Health-wise I’m good. Actually, yesterday when I found out I was traded, I was like 30 seconds from going out the door to catch a flight to make a rehab start in Reno. I was supposed to throw six innings, 90 pitches today. But the blister (air quotes) was kind of a blessing in disguise just because I needed a little mental reset. Like I said, it’s kind of hard to change the tires on a car while it’s still moving. You’re trying to compete every five days and also trying to work on things in between starts. You only get one opportunity in between starts for your side sessions to really work on some things. That was just a nice break to adjust some issues. I definitely feel a lot better than I was, mechanically. I have some things to continue to work on, but I’m really excited to be here.”

On what he thinks will help him get to where he wants to be: “I think over the last two years, I’ve had a lot of cooks in the kitchen. I’ve had a lot of people thinking that they can come out and fix me. Some of them might have been right, some of them were right, but the translations weren’t getting to me. I think it’s going out there and not really listening to what people think I should or should not be doing, but going out there and feeling and doing what feels good and natural to me. Some people have been trying to get me to do certain things that haven’t been characteristic to how I used to pitch. I mean, you can look at the videos of the last two years and the videos in the past and there’s some structural differences that are pretty blatant. So, I’ll continue to work on those.”

On his knowledge of the Guardians’ track record with pitchers: “Yeah, I mean it’s unfortunate to see what’s happened to Shane (Bieber) and Triston (McKenzie). Those guys are a lot of fun to watch and can really help out with some wins. The rest of the young staff, Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee and (Gavin) Williams, it’s really exciting to be a part of. I’ve been in the league for eight years now and I’m surrounded by these young guys. It kind of gives me a spark of energy in life just being able to watch — like, you get to a certain point in the big leagues where you try to still make it a fun kids’ game, but you’ve reached a point where it’s like, you’re in this long enough that it becomes a career. Watching the young guys go out there, you still see a lot of that youth spark that you kind of get away from as you progress in baseball.”

On whether there are any familiar faces in the clubhouse: “I know Daniel Norris a little bit from time with the Blue Jays. Josh Bell is a local Texas kid. I’m meeting a lot of new faces for the first time. Last year, I was traded to the Phillies. If I didn’t know the person, I at least had played against them for a while. This is just, it’s different, but it’s a good feeling.”

On playing for Francona: “I’ve been a big fan of Tito ever since he was with the Red Sox. That team back in the early 2000s, that’s when I started to develop a love for the game. So there’s a strong emotional attachment to having him as a manager now.”

On if there’s anything he can take away from his time with the Phillies and their run to the World Series last season: “The Phillies last year, they were a super talented team but they didn’t win the division. That’s really exciting about playoff baseball is it’s not necessarily about the most talented team or the team with the most wins, it’s just a team that plays as a team and just gets hot at the right time.”

GUARDIANS

Could Noah Syndergaard stay with Guardians beyond this season? Hey, Hoynsie!

Updated: Jul. 29, 2023, 11:04 a.m.|Published: Jul. 29, 2023, 10:39 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes

Hey, Hoynsie:

If the Guardians’ pitching gurus can improve Noah Syndergaard’s performance, do you think there is a chance for a contract extension or will he be gone at the end of the season? -- D. Cunningham, Dallas, Texas.

Hey, D:

It’s a big if, but you can never have enough pitching. Right now the G’s have Aaron Civale and rookies Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Gavin Williams and Xzavion Curry in the rotation. That will change with Syndergaard scheduled to start Monday in Houston. You also have Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill and Peyton Battenfield on the injured list. Then you have Hunter Gaddis and Zach Plesac at Triple-A. You still don’t know the condition of McKenzie’s elbow in regards to if he will need surgery. Is Bieber a trade candidate this winter coming off his elbow injury? Quantrill could be back in August. There are a lot of arms to sort through. I feel this is a short-term arrangement between the Guards and Syndergaard, but I could be wrong.

Hey, Hoynsie:

The Guardians shouldn’t even think about trading Aaron Civale. How many years before he can became a free agent? -- John, Lakewood, Calif.

Hey, John:

The Guardians need offense and trading Civale would probably bring them the best available return. But it doesn’t seem logical since they just traded for Noah Syndergaard to fill an open spot in a rotation with three rookies whose innings have to be monitored.

Such a trade would be a gamble even if Cal Quantrill returns in August. Besides, they feel they added a bat with the promotion of Oscar Gonzalez following the Amed Rosario trade.

Civale can be a free agent after the 2025 season.

Hey, Hoynsie:

Do you remember any player in particular that, when traded from Cleveland, took it particularly hard? -- Mike, Litchfield, Conn.

Hey, Mike:

I remember when Cleveland traded Victor Martinez to Boston on July 31, 2009. Martinez and his young son were crying in the locker room after being told of the trade.

It was heartbreaking because Martinez was such a big part of that team. He’d been signed, developed and brought to the big leagues by Cleveland. Martinez was part of the organization for 13 years.

Hey, Hoynsie:

Tell us about the human side of trades. How do players get to their new city? Who arranges flights, housing, and cares for the player’s family? -- Robin Barrett, Mansfield.

Hey, Robin:

A lot of that falls on the shoulders of the acquiring team’s traveling secretary. After the new player talks to the general manager/president of baseball operations/manager, the traveling secretary arranges the player’s travel and temporary housing.

Many teams, like the Guardians, have support groups built into their organization to help players adjust to their new team. It can be a difficult transition, especially if a player has a family

Hey, Hoynsie:

When Amed Rosario was traded, manager Terry Francona mentioned that Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff talked to his agent. Does that happen with all trades or was this a courtesy. -- Jim Harris, Lancaster.

Hey, Jim:

I think it does, mostly after the trade takes place. If there’s language in the contract that has to be addressed before a trade happens, such as a no trade clause, the conversations would have to take place before the trade goes down.

Hey, Hoynsie:

With Noah Syndergaard joining the rotation where does that leave Zach Plesac? -- Bill, Franklin, Tenn.

Hey, Bill:

The Guardians believe Plesac can still be a good major league pitcher, but the results have been inconsistent at Columbus. If Cleveland does not add him to the 40-man roster between now and the end of the year, he can become a minor league free agent.

Hey, Hoynsie:

Do you think the Guardians are shopping Josh Bell? I realize his numbers aren’t great, but he has a .714 OPS. -- Don, Lincoln, Neb.

Hey, Don:

Washington traded Bell at the deadline last year to San Diego, but he was having a much better season than he is now. A team might be reluctant to trade for Bell when he’s not hitting well because he’s signed for next year at $16.5 million. Should a team acquire Bell, and he catches fire for the stretch run, he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.

Hey, Hoynsie:

Would you bet on Gabriel Arias or “the field” in who wins the starting shortstop position beyond this season? -- Dan, Washington, D.C.

Hey, Dan:

I’m taking the field, and out of that group I’m taking Andres Gimenez to move from second base to shortstop. Arias could very well be the second baseman next year.

Hey, Hoynsie:

Any info on why Peyton Battenfield was scratched from his rehab start in Columbus on Friday night? -- Nic, Euclid.

Hey, Nic:

The Guardians were concerned that Friday’s game against the White Sox was going to get rained out. So they pulled Battenfield from his start at Columbus in case there was a doubleheader on Saturday and he had to start one of those games. But they got Friday’s game in before the rain hit.

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Don't expect fireworks from Guardians at trade deadline

Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio

Sat, Jul 29, 2023, 1:47 PM CDT·4 min read

Jul. 29—The trade deadline for Major League Baseball is Aug. 1, and unless something out of the blue happens, don't expect the Guardians' roster to look much different on Aug. 2 than it does today.

It isn't that President of Baseball Operations doesn't want to make the Guardians better. The problem is his arms are tied because the arms of his most tradable commodity aren't working.

No team is going to give up a valuable player for Shane Bieber (elbow) knowing Bieber can't pitch until Sept. 10 at the earliest, and even then there is no way to project how effective he will be.

Triston McKenzie is also out with an elbow injury until at least September. Plus, he is under club control through 2026, so trading him for a rental bat makes so sense from the Guardians' standpoint. And if they were to trade him for a slugger with team control, center fielder Luis Robert of the White Sox for example (not that the White Sox are shopping Robert), the Guardians couldn't afford him.

McKenzie's rehab took a step in a positive direction on July 28 when he was given the go-ahead to start playing catch.

"He was pretty excited," Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters in Chicago. "I think all went well."

So McKenzie is in the Guardians plans for the future, not as a trade candidate.

Aaron Civalie is tradable, but if the Guardians shipped him to another team it would mean they are sellers instead of buyers. Civale fought through an oblique injury early in the season and has been steady since returning. He is 4-2 and has pitched 71 innings in 12 starts. He is averaging 5.9 innings per start. Rookies Tanner Biebee (5.6 innings), Logan Allen (5.3) and Gavin Williams (5.4 innings) are having their workloads monitored so they aren't gassed with two weeks left in the season.

—Trading shortstop Amed Rosario to the Dodgers for pitcher Noah Syndergaard as the Guardians did on Jan. 26 isn't going to change the balance of power in the AL Central.

Syndergaard hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since June 7 because he is dealing with a blister on a finger of his right (throwing) hand. He is expected to start July 31 when the Guardians open a three-game series with the Astros in Houston.

Anything Syndergaard, a shadow of the pitcher that was 13-4 for the Mets in 2018, can give manager Terry Francona is a bonus. Syndergaard gave up seven home runs over 23 innings in his five most recent starts for the Dodgers. As good as the Guardians are at developing pitchers, they will need more than five days to fix what is wrong with "Thor," assuming his issues can be fixed. But at least now Xzavion Curry can return to the bullpen instead of being a three-inning opener as he was July 28 when the Guardians lost, 3-0, to the White Sox in Chicago.

The bigger question revolves around how Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman will produce at the plate as they take over for Rosario at shortstop. Both are better defenders. The Guardians kept hoping Rosario would improve in the field, but it never happened.

"We continued to hope it would improve, but in the end, we got to the point where we felt this made sense for us, and now is the right time to give Gabby and Tyler some more opportunities," Antonetti said on a Zoom call. "We also wanted to be respectful to Amed. We recognized his place on our team as a veteran leader and his expectations of himself and transitioning to a lesser role would have an impact on him and the team, and we were very mindful about doing that."

Rosario has made 11 errors. He has a minus-15 rating in a category labeled Outs Above Average by baseballsavant.com. That is the lowest ranking of all Major League shortstops and tied for last with first baseman Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies among all ranked defenders.

—Baseball-reference.com is a handy research tool, but sometimes using it is a sobering reminder of how time flies.

The headshots of 12 random players appear each time the website is visited. I clicked on the picture of Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson and was dismayed to learn he will turn 82 years old on Sept. 4.

Harrelson's career began in 1963 with the Kansas City Athletics. He played in 149 games with Cleveland in 1969 and then was with the Tribe for 17 games in 1970 and 52 games in 1971 to end his career. It doesn't seem like 52 years have passed since he last played with the Indians.

I didn't know that

... until I read my Snapple bottle cap.

Cows produce more milk when they listen to music. ... Asparagus can grow up to seven inches in a day. ... The average dog can understand more than 150 words. ... A person blinks more than four million times a year. ... Powerful earthquakes can make the earth spin faster. ... The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps.

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GUARDIANS

Baby steps begin for Triston McKenzie: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Jul. 29, 2023, 7:07 a.m.|Published: Jul. 28, 2023, 8:35 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes

CHICAGO -- The rotation that Guardians fans thought would carry them through this season is no more. It hasn’t been for a quite a while.

Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber and Cal Quantrill are on the injured list. Zach Plesac is trying to find himself at Class AAA Columbus.

But progress, no matter how slow, is being made.

“Triston threw today for the first time,” said manager Terry Francona before Friday night’s game. “He played catch and he was pretty excited. I think all went well.”

McKenzie is recovering from an injured ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He has not thrown since he was scratched from a start against Arizona on June 16.

Regarding Bieber, Francona said, “At some point in the coming week Shane should start playing catch.”

Bieber, like McKenzie, is recovering from a sore right elbow. Under the best of circumstances, they are not expected back until September.

Quantrill is dealing with a sore right shoulder that has landed him on the injured list twice this season.

“He’s going to throw another up-down bullpen session on Saturday,” said Francona.

An up-down bullpen means the pitcher will simulate throwing multiple innings. There is still no word when he’ll go on a rehab assignment.

Plesac is 2-4 with a 6.18 ERA at Columbus. He’s made 10 appearances, including nine starts, while allowing 30 runs in 43 2/3 inning. He’s struck out 38, walked 26 and the opposition is hitting .282 against him.

Cleveland’s current rotation consists of Aaron Civale, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen and newly-acquired Noah Syndergaard, who will make his Cleveland debut Monday in Houston.

No. 1. Give me money

Infielder Freeman hasn’t played since jamming his right shoulder on Wednesday against the Royals. He did take infield Friday at second base.

Asked how his right shoulder was, Freeman smiled and said, “It’s money.”

No. 2. Firesale on the south side

Before the Guardians arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox traded pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynoldo Lopez to the Angels.

Before Friday’s game, they traded pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers and right-hander Kendall Graveman to the Astros.

The White Sox went into Friday’s game at 41-63, 13 games out of first place in the AL Central. They had lost six straight and were 3-9 since the All-Star break.

Chicago won the division in 2021, but fell to 81-81 last year.

No. 3 Finally

Pat Tabler is filling in for Guardians play-by-play man Tom Hamilton this weekend on the team’s radio network. Hamilton’s daughter is getting married ...

Emmanuel Clase tied Mike Jackson for sixth place on Cleveland’s all-time save list Thursday with his 28th save of the season and the 94th of his career ...

Thursday’s win moved Francona into a tie with Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel for 13th on the all-time list for managerial wins at 1,926.

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GUARDIANS

What I’m hearing about the Amed Rosario deal with the Dodgers – Terry’s Talkin’ Guardians

Updated: Jul. 30, 2023, 10:40 a.m.|Published: Jul. 30, 2023, 4:33 a.m.

By Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – There were a lot of factors entering into the Guardians’ decision to trade Amed Rosario to the Dodgers for veteran starter Noah Syndergaard. Here’s what I’ve been hearing:

ABOUT AMED ROSARIO

1. From the moment the Guardians acquired Andres Gimenez and Rosario in the Francisco Lindor deal in 2020, there were doubts about Rosario’s defense at shortstop. Guess who was the starting shortstop on opening day of 2021? It was Gimenez, not Rosario. Cleveland switched Rosario to the outfield in spring training.

2. Gimenez didn’t hit early in the 2021 season. He was sent to Class AAA, Rosario was moved back to his original shortstop position. Rosario produced enough at the plate for him to hang on to short, at least for a while. Gimenez was moved to second base.

3. The Guardians found ways to hide Rosario’s lack of range at short thanks to the old infield shift rules. He had Gold Glove second baseman Gimenez to his left. He had the relentless Jose Ramirez at the third base.

4. The new anti-shift rules stopped teams from putting three infielders on the same side of second base this season. They also prevented infielders from playing deep on the outfield grass. That put more value on range and athleticism. If you watch Rosario, he runs fast in a straight line. He is not a fluid athlete in terms of moving laterally.

5. FanGraphs and other analytic sites had Rosario ranked as the worst defense SS in MLB this year. So did the Guardians’ own evaluation. The Guardians had him slightly below average last season. That all changed with the new shifting rules.

6. Rosario’s confidence was shaken. In addition to lack of range, his .963 fielding average was the second worst in the MLB at the time of the deal. He has 11 errors this season, compared to 12 all of last season. It reached the point where manager Terry Francona was replacing Rosario with Gabriel Arias at short in the late innings for defense a few games before the deal.

7. Rosario’s defensive decline crushed his trade value. It never was especially high. Other teams looked at his lack of walks and OPS in the .700s as negatives. They underrated his hustle, durability and the fact that he’s a .300 career hitter vs. lefties. The Dodgers were batting .227 as a team vs. lefties, so they took Rosario. It will be interesting to see how they use him.




Gabriel Arias can field, now he has to prove his bat is MLB worthy. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

ABOUT GABRIEL ARIAS

1. In 2021, Gabriel Arias batted .284 (.802 OPS) with 13 HR, 29 doubles and 55 RBI at Class AAA. Those numbers were impressive for someone in the International League at age 21. The average Class AAA player was 26 in 2021.

2. I had a top Cleveland official tell me Arias was the best defensive shortstop in the system. Arias was rated 73rd on the top 100 MLB prospects by MLB Pipeline. Last season was a mess for Arias. While playing for Columbus, he suffered a broken hand when hit by a pitch in May. He was out nearly two months. Then he came back and was being trained to play several positions. Last season at Columbus, his position breakdown was: SS (46 games), 3B (15), 1B (10), OF (7) and 2B (2). He batted .240 (.716 OPS) with 13 HR in 323 plate appearances for the Clippers.

3. This spring, Arias made the Guardians as a utility infielder. He didn’t hit. He played well at every position, be it third, short, first or even right field. His glove was a huge upgrade at short. While Arias was having a hard time hitting .200 as a part-time player, the Guardians want to see more of him at SS. That was a driving force behind the Rosario deal.

4. Arias is only 23. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, the Guardians believe he can turn into a superb shortstop who hits with some power. They also have Tyler Freeman, who has developed into an excellent utility man. A natural shortstop, Freeman also will receive some time at the position.

5. Right now, the Guardians rank Arias and 22-year-old Brayan Rocchio as the top defensive shortstops in the upper levels of the system. Rocchio is hitting .296 (.815 OPS) with three HR at Columbus. He could end up taking the position next season if it doesn’t work with Arias this season.




The Amed Rosario trade created room for the Guardians to promote Oscar Gonzalez from Class AAA.

ABOUT OSCAR GONZALEZ

The trade also created room for the Guardians to call up Oscar Gonzalez, a move I have been urging for at least six weeks. It happened Wednesday.

Gonzalez had problems at the plate early this season, then returned to the minors. At Class AAA, Gonzalez is batting .275 (.789 OPS) with 11 HR and 58 RBI in 285 plate appearances. Those stats are close to his 2022 Class AAA numbers (.282, .816 OPS, nine HR, 33 RBI in 182 plate appearances).

Gonzalez is a right-handed hitter with some power, something the team desperately needs. The Guardians can at least platoon him with lefty Will Brennan, who is batting .148 ( 8 for 54) vs. lefties this season. At Class AAA, Gonzalez was batting .350 (.861 OPS) vs. lefties for the Clippers.

ABOUT NOAH SYNDERGAARD

The Guardians joined nearly every team in baseball during the trading deadline hunt for veteran starting pitching. They are worried about their rookie starters – Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams – throwing too many innings.

Here was the innings breakdown last season in the minors: Allen (133), Bibee (134) and Williams (115). Consider that Shane Bieber threw 200 innings last season. Aaron Civale is the only veteran in the rotation. They decided to add Syndergaard, hoping he can at least give them five innings a start.

Syndergaard had a 47-30 record and 3.30 ERA with the Mets from 2015-19. He had Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery after that. Coming back in 2021, his velocity dropped from about 97 mph to the MLB average of 93 mph.

He was respectable last season: 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA.

This season with the Dodgers, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA. He’s dealt with a blister and broken nail on his right index finger. He’s a baseball lottery ticket. The Guardians hope they can fix him, although their idea is to just let him pitch. He’s been over-coached this season.

Syndergaard is only 30. The Guardians don’t expect him to be the All-Star with the sizzling fastball. They hope he can be the guy who averaged six innings a start with that 3.94 ERA from last season.

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Why Oscar Gonzalez Will Be Under Pressure To Perform Immediately For The Guardians

By Tommy Wild | Last updated 7/30/23

The Cleveland Guardians' playoff hero from 2022 was more of an afterthought at the beginning of 2023 due to a poor performance during Spring Training and a rough start to the regular season. The organization decided that the best thing for Oscar Gonzalez was to be optioned back down to Triple-A in order to refine his swing and work on his plate discipline.

One could argue that's exactly what he did. Spongebob played in 65 games during his time with the Columbus Clippers in 2023 hitting .275 with an OPS of .789. He also hit 11 home runs and collected 58 RBI. This impressive offensive performance included a game where he even hit for the cycle.

The Amed Rosario trade opened up a roster spot for the time being and Gonzalez was chosen to rejoin the Big League club. The 25-year-old made his first MLB start in over two months on Friday night against the Chicago White Sox.

Typically, organizations will be patient with young hitters with the skillset that Oscar has. He's demonstrated natural power at the plate with a cannon for an arm in the outfield (97th percentile in arm strength, per Baseball Savant.)

Spongebob became a fan favorite in 2022 for his incredible walk-up song and playoff walk-offs and everyone wants him to succeed. However, Gonzalez may not get the chance to take his time and slowly come around.

This is why.

Oscar was called up to fill the empty roster spot created by the Rosario trade. That spot was void because the player the Guardians traded for, Noah Syndergaard, continues his rehab on the 15-day IL.

The plan as of now is for Syndergaard to start for the Guardians on Monday against the Houston Astros. Cleveland will need to make a roster move in order to add Thor and it's hard to envision them taking an arm out of the bullpen with the state of the current rotation.

That leaves them with the only other choice but to option one of their position players.

We also have to remember the comments Chris Antonetti made about the upcoming Trade Deadline. One of his goals was to add another starting pitcher (check) and the other was to add a reliable outfield bat.

This call-up may be another way for Cleveland to evaluate whether Gonzalez can be that player who is able to help add some pop to the lineup.

Unfortunately, time isn't on Oscar's side. The trade deadline is this Tuesday which gives him an incredibly small time frame to show how he has improved during his time in the minors this season.

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Poor Performance Against White Sox Proves Guardians Still Need Another Bat

By Tommy Wild | Last updated 7/29/23

Whether the Cleveland Guardians want to go for it all this season or are trying to build for the future, it's still clear they badly need another bat.

The Guardians took the first game of their series against the White Sox after scoring four runs in the first three innings. They held off Chicago for the rest of the game while grabbing a couple of insurance runs and secured the victory.

They were blanked in game two after Touki Toussaint, who made one start for Cleveland earlier this season, pitched 5.0 innings and only gave up three hits. The bullpen only allowed three hits on top of this.

The Guardians finished the night with only six hits and Josh Naylor was responsible for three of them.

Another former Cleveland pitcher in Mike Clevinger took the mound in game three and produced similar results for his club. He threw 5.0 scoreless innings after not pitching in a Major League game since June 14.

The Guardians finally snapped their scoreless innings streak in the seventh as Tyler Freeman put together a nice at-bat to drive in Josh Bell.

Scoring just two runs over 18 innings is frustrating enough for a team that could be making up ground on the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. But it's more defeating when you remember the White Sox have traded five of their pitchers over the last two days.

The bottom line is that Cleveland needs outside help in order to make this lineup one that opposing pitchers fear. Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have done a tremendous job this season driving in runs, but two players can't do it all.

There is a bright side to all of this though. The trade deadline is only a couple of days away and Cleveland has the pieces to go and get another bat.

World Series contenders and those teams looking to make a playoff push are always looking to add more pitching. Aaron Civale could be a starter that draws interest and the Guardians also have relief pitchers that could be coveted as Cleveland still has the second-best bullpen in terms of ERA (3.55).

The Guardians need to take advantage of the deadline and get a hitter who can be a part of this lineup for years to come.

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Sources: Guardians ponder whether to move Aaron Civale at trade deadline CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 25: Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Aaron Civale (43) delivers a pitch to the plate during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians on July 25, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
Jul 30, 2023

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CHICAGO — The Guardians have kicked around the idea of trading Aaron Civale, multiple industry sources have told The Athletic. And, really, how could they not at least weigh the option?

There are a lot of buyers in this trade market, a lot of buyers seeking a starting pitcher and a lot of buyers who prefer a starting pitcher with multiple years of team control in lieu of a rental.

Civale’s stock has never been higher. He owns a 2.34 ERA this season, and a 1.45 ERA in his six July starts, during which he has limited the opposition to a .176/.229/.229 slash line.

He has two and a half years of team control, and figures next year to make an estimated double the $2.6 million salary he’s earning this season. Now, that’s an awfully valuable commodity for Cleveland, too, especially if the Guardians have any designs to sneak into the postseason in two months by way of a sorry AL Central. They enter the final day of July a half-game behind the Twins but tied in the loss column. That isn’t worth a parade or even a trip to Dairy Queen, but it beats the alternative.

The Guardians are so desperate for innings eaters they swapped Amed Rosario for Noah Syndergaard, a guy who, in an almost jarring manner, sounded disappointed and frustrated in himself in his introductory meeting with a few reporters on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill, slated at the beginning of the year to be the club’s top three starters, are all sidelined with arm trouble. The Guardians are concerned with the workloads for the three rookies who have replaced them.

• Tanner Bibee: 89 2/3 innings in the majors, 15 1/3 innings in the minors, 105 innings total (132 2/3 last year)

• Logan Allen: 80 1/3 innings in the majors, 20 1/3 innings in the minors, 100 2/3 innings total (132 2/3 last year)

• Gavin Williams: 37 2/3 innings in the majors, 60 1/3 innings in the minors, 98 innings total (115 last year)

All three will soon eclipse their totals from 2022, but where they end up hinges on how they’re feeling and whether their stuff dips in quality as the summer unfolds. In a perfect world for the Guardians, Bieber, McKenzie and Quantrill will all have returned in time to alleviate some of the uncertainty.

Quantrill, dealing with shoulder inflammation, threw what could be his final bullpen session Sunday before he heads out on a rehab assignment. McKenzie, sidelined with an elbow sprain, played catch Friday for the first time since landing on the shelf. Bieber, battling elbow inflammation, is expected to follow suit this week. McKenzie and Bieber are on the 60-day injured list and aren’t expected back until September.

Obviously, Civale’s presence provides the rotation with its most reliable source of innings-eating, though he has been no stranger to the injured list over the last three seasons. Civale tossed six scoreless innings on Sunday against the White Sox to fuel Cleveland to a series split.

“He’s really stepped into his own this year, getting back to where he was early in his career, that ace role that we think he can be,” said outfielder Will Brennan. “He’s obviously really important to us and hopefully he keeps it going. When he’s punching guys out with that curveball and getting guys off-balance, it’s really special to watch.”

Surely, other teams’ scouts and executives agree. Stuff+, the metric crafted by The Athletic’s Eno Sarris to measure a pitch’s physical characteristics (release point, movement, spin rate), rates Civale’s curveball as the best among starting pitchers.

As the Guardians ponder whether to move Civale, the market and, of course, other teams’ offers play a pivotal role. So far, rentals Lucas Giolito (Angels) and Jordan Montgomery (Rangers) have been dealt to new teams. Texas also acquired future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who exercised his option for the 2024 season.

About two-thirds of the league is thought to be buying, to some degree. There’s clearly a scarcity of sellers, and those sellers don’t have a ton to offer anyway. That’s why Civale would be a prized target, especially with his team control.

So, would another team dangle what the Guardians covet? They’re after a young, controllable hitter, preferably an outfielder who can hit in or near the middle of the order. Maybe the other team could attach a back-end starter in the deal who could chew up some innings in Civale’s place. The Orioles and Cardinals, to name a couple of teams, have a surplus of outfielders and desire starting pitchers with multiple years of control. The Guardians, sources say, don’t have much interest in forking over anything worthwhile for a rental bat, especially if it means outbidding other contenders.

Capitalizing on Civale’s value isn’t the only way to add a bat. They could deal away prospects. But that might be an easier course of action during the offseason. That sort of trade, if attempted this week, would limit potential trade partners to teams that are out of the race, and those teams would be less inclined to trade away a young, promising hitter if they even employ one.

If another team doesn’t compel the Guardians to move Civale, the club could simply hold this thought until the winter, though they could already be seeking to trade Bieber at that time.

This would be an easier decision for Cleveland’s front office if the team were 10 games behind the Twins or 10 games ahead. Instead, as the Twins and Guardians continue their thumb-wrestling match, Cleveland’s brass has a critical decision to make about its top starting pitcher.

Civale''s level of success this season has been surprising; which makes me less interested in trading him now for what good he can do for the team this year; but at the same time his pricetag is much more than it's been before and his health could easily fail him again. So I don't know what I'd do. the twins are making this harder for us to decide what route to take

Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan
·
2m
The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from the Cleveland Guardians, sources tell ESPN. They will receive first baseman Kyle Manzardo in return.

Deal is done.

Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan
·
4m
The Rays have been hunting for starting pitching, and in Aaron Civale, they get a perfect fit: innings eater with a vicious breaking ball and real performance this year (2.34 ERA in 77 innings over 13 starts). Manzardo is a heavy price. He can really hit.
@TBTimes_Rays
was first.

Starting to think that Josh Bell might be next.

81. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
Age: 22 | 6-1 | 205 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 63 in 2021

Last year’s rank: Sleeper

Manzardo had an incredible full-season debut for the Rays, hitting .327/.426/.617 between High A and Double A just a year out of the draft, with 22 homers and almost as many walks (59) as strikeouts (65) — and that’s despite missing a month early in the season with mononucleosis. He’s a very disciplined hitter who posts strong exit velocities without a huge swing, so his power is more line drive than big fly and he may be a 40-50 doubles guy rather than a 30 homer guy, using the whole field to keep that contact rate up. He’s also shown himself to be more than a capable defender at first. I suppose someone could try to alter his launch angle for more home-run power, but Manzardo is plenty valuable as he is — someone who might hit .300-.320 with walks and doubles while playing above-average defense at first. Those guys don’t make the Hall of Fame but they are an endangered species in our all-or-nothing baseball era.