Cleveland Baseball Insider

REPORT: Cleveland Guardians Not Done Making Trades

The Cleveland Guardians may have more trades coming this MLB offseason.
Matthew Schmidt|
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 16: Josh Naylor #22 of the Cleveland Guardians runs the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning in game four of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 16: Josh Naylor #22 of the Cleveland Guardians runs the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning in game four of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Dylan Buell-Getty Images

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Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians swung a couple of big trades on Tuesday, sending second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays and then flipping first basemen Spencer Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Luis Ortiz and two prospects.

While landing Ortiz was certainly a shrewd move, it also seemed pretty clear that the Guardians moved Gimenez to shed his salary.

So, does that mean Cleveland is done clearing payroll?

Not necessarily.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic doesn't think the Guardians are finished making moves and reports that first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas remain available.

"But, according to sources, they will continue to field offers for first baseman Josh Naylor (projected $12 million in arbitration) and outfielder Lane Thomas (projected $8.3 million)," Rosenthal wrote. "Both are eligible for free agency at the end of the season."

Cleveland is a very cost-conscious franchise that is not known for handing out lucrative long-term deals, so it may see fit to trade Naylor and/or Thomas now in order to recoup some value for the two players before they hit the open market.

It surely won't please Guardians fans, however, seeing as how Cleveland just came within three wins of a World Series appearance.

The Guardians need to add bats; not subtract them, so the idea of trading Naylor (who smashed 31 home runs this past year) and possibly Thomas (who played a pivotal role for Cleveland down the stretch) does not sound ideal.

But, at this point, we know this is how the Guardians operate, so more trades should not come as too much of a surprise.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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