It has been a quiet begin to the offseason for the Guardians. Their solely notable strikes have been the commerce of center reliever Eli Morgan to the Cubs and the return of backup catcher Austin Hedges on a $4MM free agent deal.
Because the Winter Conferences strategy, Cleveland’s entrance workplace is monitoring the marketplace for a possible outfield acquisition. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti tells Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic that the Guardians are open to including a “complementary participant” on the grass.
Steven Kwan is without doubt one of the recreation’s finest left fielders. The opposite two outfield spots are extra open. Lane Thomas performed quantity of heart subject after the Guardians acquired him from Washington in a deadline deal. He’s stretched defensively up the center. Ideally, Thomas would slot into proper subject. The Guards don’t have many inside choices who might take on a regular basis enjoying time in heart. In the event that they’re to bump Thomas right into a nook, they’ll most likely want so as to add a middle fielder.
The free agent class on the place may be very weak. Harrison Bader is the one participant who tasks as even a low-end common. Leody Taveras and Jake Meyers are glove-first choices who may very well be out there on the commerce market. None of them are going to supply a lot offense, however they’d improve Cleveland’s outfield protection.
The Guardians are additionally more likely to obtain some commerce calls relating to Thomas. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz tasks Thomas for an $8.3MM wage in his last season of arbitration eligibility. That’s an honest sum for a low-payroll franchise, however the Guardians relinquished a stable prospect return to land Thomas just a few months in the past. They’d get a lesser bundle again after he struggled down the stretch (well timed postseason house runs apart), and a commerce would depart them with two query marks within the outfield.
If the Guardians keep on with Thomas in heart subject, they’d have some mixture of Will Brennan, Jhonkensy Noel and Daniel Schneemann in proper subject. Noel has monster energy however strikes out a ton. He’s a greater runner than one may anticipate given his 6’3″, 250-pound body, however he may be stretched defensively as an on a regular basis outfielder. Neither Brennan nor Schneemann has demonstrated a lot offensive upside. Johnathan Rodriguez, Angel MartĂnez and Petey Halpin are all on the 40-man roster however have little to no massive league expertise.
High prospect Chase DeLauter may very well be a midseason improve. An Opening Day name could be an extended shot. DeLauter has battled accidents in his minor league profession and has solely appeared in 42 video games above Excessive-A, simply six of which have come on the Triple-A stage.
There’s an honest quantity of depth within the free agent nook outfield class. Michael Conforto, Max Kepler and Alex Verdugo are all potential regulars who’re more likely to be restricted to 1 or two years. All of them hit left-handed, however a righty bat might higher match the seek for a complementary participant. Brennan and Schneemann every hit from the left aspect, as does DeLauter. (Noel is a righty.) Randal Grichuk or latest non-tenders Austin Hays and Bryan De La Cruz might occupy short-side platoon roles. They might pair with Brennan or Schneemann early within the season whereas permitting Stephen Vogt to defend DeLauter from robust left-handed pitching if he earns an enormous league look later within the yr.