3 controllable hitters the Guardians should target after Spencer Steer's injury

Later today, the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds will begin the latest iteration of the Battle of Ohio with the start of a three game series at Great American Ballpark.

In an alternate reality, the series could have served as a way for the Guardians to get a final look at Spencer Steer ahead of next week’s trade deadline. Maybe it could have given us a moment when Steer swapped dugouts mid-series. 

But any Steer hijinks between the two clubs went by the wayside last night when the Reds slugger sustained a hand injury that’s expected to keep him out for a significant period of time. 

While that’s a pretty significant blow to the Guardians given he would have been the perfect fit (hits right-handed, can move around the diamond), there are still plenty of other options for them to consider at this year’s deadline. 

With that in mind, here’s a look at three of them. 

Spencer Steer’s injury shouldn’t stop the Guardians from adding a right-handed hitter to their lineup

UTL Casey Schmitt, San Francisco Giants 

If Steer was the Guardians’ perfect fit, Schmitt isn’t far behind. He’s played everywhere but catcher, center field and right field in his career, and has recorded double-digit appearances at third base, left field and first base this year

And he’s coupled that with a .269/.299/.482 with 21 home runs and 55 RBI. While him having an on-base percentage under .300 isn’t great, he’s in the 94th percentile in expected slugging and expected batting average, so there’s some bad luck there. 

Plus it’s not like the Guardians would be going after him for his ability to get on base. They have enough players who have that as their priority. Imagine Schmitt platooning and moving around the diamond instead of David Fry. 

He’d make the Guardians’ lineup look a lot more dangerous. 

1B/3B Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros

Although the Astros hate rebuilding, they may be forced to make some kind of subtraction this trade deadline due to the fact they’re three games under .500 (but still only two games out of a postseason spot. Never change, American League.) 

But if they do choose to make some subtractions, Parades is a logical candidate given he’s going to be a free agent after 2027 and would be the odd man out in the future of their middle infield. 

That’s where the Guardians could jump in. While he wouldn’t be their everyday first baseman, they could insert in their platoon at first base along with having him DH and play the occasional game at the hot corner when José Ramírez needs a day off his feet. 

The biggest problem with Parades is that he’s one of the most pull-happy hitters in baseball. While he’s been able to use that to his benefit in Houston thanks to Daikin Park’s short left field, Progressive Field’s 19 foot wall in left would cut into his production (though he did have a two-homer game in Cleveland in April). 

Still, he can hit for some power and gets on base at a good clip. That enough would make him a welcome addition to the Guardians’ lineup. 

OF Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels 

We’ve been banging the drum on Adell for some time now, and the reasons for doing so haven’t changed. 

He strikes out a lot and rarely walks, but he’s also slugged 91 homers since the start of 2020 and is on pace for third straight season with 20+ home runs. 

Any Adell acquisition would likely require Cleveland’s front office to overlook a lot of its normal concerns given Adell’s lack of on-base production and defense (-4 Outs Above Average), but he’d provide the Guardians with some much-needed right-handed thump from their outfield. 

He’s a free agent after the 2027 season and is repped by Scott Boras so there’s no chance he’d be around after then. Still, he’s a solid option who wouldn’t cost a ton in terms of a prospect return and would fill an obvious need in Cleveland’s offense. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow