4 Cleveland Guardians trade targets from the Oakland Athletics

Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea

Along with Oakland already trading Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Chris Bassitt, pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea look to be on the move as well. The Guardians have traded several really good and well-established pitchers in recent memory and I think it is time they add to their rotation instead of subtracting.

Cleveland typically grades out really well with their pitching, so while this may not be a huge need, Manaea and Montas are both really good above-average pitchers who would provide a boost to any rotation. In 2021, Montas finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting as he went 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA with 207 strikeouts in 187 innings. Manaea posted an 11-10 record with a 3.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts across 179 1/3 innings. Manaea has one year left of team control while Montas has two. Because of this, they might not fetch as much in terms of prospects as Laureano or Murphy. However, if Oakland decides to package both pitchers, they might get an absolute haul. This would be something Cleveland might want to think about considering the AL Central figures to be very tough with the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers all making significant additions this offseason.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Cleveland Guardians should look to the Oakland Athletics for some trade targets that would help them improve their roster in several ways. Between Laureano, Murphy, Montas, and Manaea, there is no doubt these players would immediately upgrade the Guardians despite probably costing a lot by way of prospects. Considering the team’s need for outfielders, though, Laureano might make the most sense of all.