The 3 best Cleveland Guardians trades of the last ten years

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.