A Look Back At One Trade The Guardians Almost Certainly Regret

On Monday night, Junior Caminero launched his second home run of the game in what ended up being the Cleveland Guardians' third straight shutout loss.

As the emerging superstar rounded third base, a dejected fan in an empty Progressive Field following a 38-minute rain delay screamed, “Junior! You should be hitting in the middle of our lineup!”

That’s a pretty good way to summarize how fans are feeling at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario the last couple of weeks.

With the Guardians in the middle of a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, and Caminero establishing himself as one of the best young hitters in all of MLB, now seems like a good time to take a look back at one trade Cleveland almost certainly regrets making.

Jul 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) prepares for the pitch in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

In July of 2019, Cleveland signed Caminero as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. However, he never got an opportunity to show his potential, and just two years later, on November 19, 2021, the Guardians traded Caminero to the Rays.

Cleveland has a history of making solid moves and moving on from players at the right time. The front office’s ability to scout and develop talent is one of the reasons they’re consistently a playoff team.

Surely, Cleveland got something good in return for a player who could be an MVP candidate in the near future.

Unfortunately, not in this scenario.

The return the Guardians got back for Caminero was RHP Tobias Myers, who never threw one pitch for Cleveland’s big-league team. Less than a year after trading for the right-hander, Cleveland designated him for assignment in July of 2022.

This trade isn’t aging well for the Guardians. No one is going to deny it, not even Cleveland’s President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, who called the Caminero deal a “bad trade” in 2023, two years before he officially broke out as a superstar.

Aug 24, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) hits a grand slam against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Through Caminero’s first 176 MLB games, he’s recording a slash line of .259/.299/.503 slash line with a .802 OPS, including 46 home runs and 32 doubles.

That fan is right; Caminero should be hitting in the middle of the Guardians' lineup, but he isn’t.

Every time Caminero hits a towering home run or makes an incredible play at third base, the Guardians are going to be reminded of what they missed out on, and, considering he’s only 22 years old, those reminders are going to be coming for a long time.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage