The 3 best Cleveland Guardians trades of the last ten years

Cleveland Guardians fans have seen nearly every version possible of a major-league team entering the last ten trade deadlines. The 2012 season was a rebuilding year that saw Manny Acta’s firing. In 2016 they went for it all, and in 2020 it was clear the team was (put nicely) retooling. This year’s iteration is a little convoluted, but nonetheless, the Guardians could still be active at the deadline.

Before we fully dive into trade rumors and fights about who Cleveland should and shouldn’t trade for by August 2, let’s take a look back at the three best trades of the past decade. Based on return and how the careers of traded players panned out, I weeded through each deadline deal from 2012-2021 to find the best. These are only trades that happened before the trade deadline, so Emmanuel Clase for Corey Kluber wouldn’t count because it took place on December 15, 2019.

The 3 Best Cleveland Guardians Trades of the Past Decade

3) Cleveland acquires Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, Victor Nova, Scott Moss and Yasiel Puig, trades Trevor Bauer in three-team trade (2019)

While only Franmil Reyes and Victor Nova remain in the organization, this trade could prove to be monumental for the future of the team. Reyes is busting out of his nearly four-month-long slow start, but is an everyday designated hitter and occasional outfielder. Logan Allen turned in some quality starts for the Guardians over the ensuing three-ish years, and Scott Moss looked promising before flaming out in 2021. Yasiel Puig was Yasiel Puig.

Off-the-field issues notwithstanding, Trevor Bauer never had a future in Cleveland. He made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want to stay in one place for long, and frankly, Cleveland needed to deal with his temper and off-the-field antics (like screwing around with a drone before an ALCS start). In turn, they got a big bopper who puts butts in seats. Hopefully Nova can figure it out in the minors as well.