The 3 best Cleveland Guardians trades of the last ten years

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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.

2) Cleveland acquires Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, Joey Cantillo and Owen Miller, trades Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen and PTBNL (2020)

Another big haul from the San Diego Padres for a starting pitcher that yielded one of the better returns Cleveland has ever gotten on a trade. While it’s only been about two years, it’s clear that there are some long-term pieces enveloped into this acquisition. Maybe Owen Miller and Austin Hedges don’t stick around forever, but they’ve been serviceable and fill major-league roles. Cal Quantrill is up and down on the mound but still slides in as a solid back-of-the-rotation option that can flash outings of greatness from time to time. Josh Naylor is an electric factory and could end up taking over a DH spot or first base if Cleveland moves on from other players.

Gabriel Arias needs some major-league seasoning, but has rocked it this year in Triple-A and projects to be a long-term option up the middle. Even Joey Cantillo, who’s just 22 years old, is scorching in Akron right now and holds a 2.03 ERA through 12 starts this year. But Cleveland got rid of Clevinger at the right time, a trend the club is used to, especially with starting pitchers. He’s doing well on the mound this season so far through seven starts, but he’s working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery. “Sunshine” might not be a Padre for much longer.

1) Cleveland acquires Andrew Miller, trades Ben Heller, Clint Frazier, J.P. Feyereisen and Justus Sheffield (2016)

Arguably the most pivotal move the Guardians front office has pulled off in the last decade, Andrew Miller became a staple of the then-Indians’ bullpen. Sure, they didn’t end up winning a World Series, but he was a massive part of the run in 2016 and the record-breaking 2017 regular season. Championships matter, but a better lineup that could have won it all would have made this move one of the best in the history of baseball.

The outlook of the trade becomes even better when looking at what the Guardians gave up. Cleveland is not a franchise willing to gut a farm system for one or two players, but this trade went against that philosophy – and worked. Ben Heller played in just 31 MLB games, J.P. Feyereisen is a solid bullpen arm, but nothing special (and he plays for the Tampa Bay Rays) and Justus Sheffield is still REALLY trying to find his way in the big leagues for the Mariners.

Clint Frazier, the once-promising star outfielder and key part of the Miller trade, flamed out in New York and is toiling away with the Chicago Cubs. All in all, Cleveland bet on themselves, somewhat stripped their farm system of high-caliber prospects, and benefitted with a World Series run and a regular season of 100+ wins. New York doesn’t have any of the players swapped out for Miller anymore.

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The 3 Best Cleveland Guardians Trades of the Past Decade

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