5 expendable Guardians players who the team can move before the trade deadline

Last season, the Cleveland Guardians entered the trade deadline as clear sellers thanks in large part to being 23 games above .500. 

It doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case this year.

As such, the Guardians could go a variety of different ways at this year’s trade deadline, which means there will likely be plenty of speculation over the next two months around which Guardians players could be available at the deadline.

We'll start that speculation by highlight five players who we think could on the move.

Note: all stats are entering Friday’s games.

5 expendable Guardians players who the team can move before the trade deadline

LHP Logan Allen
3-3, 4.22 ERA in 49 innings

It’s hard to believe this is Allen’s third year with the Guardians.

He burst onto the scene in 2023 and had a solid rookie season (3.81 ERA in 125 1/3 innings) before having a disaster 2024 season where he posted a 5.67 ERA through 18 starts before being sent down to Triple-A. 

Allen broke camp with the Guardians this year and had a 2.11 ERA through his first four starts this year, but has had a 5.86 ERA in his seven appearances since. 

It seems clear that Allen isn’t a part of the Guardians future, and they should consider shopping him at the deadline. 

While they wouldn't be able to get much for him by himself, he could serve as a solid sweetener in a trade package. 

He doesn’t have strikeout stuff (fourth percentile in whiff rate) and has struggled with command, but he’s still young (26) and is a left-handed pitcher who could be an option in either the rotation or bullpen. 

This could be a trade in the same vein of Cleveland's trade of Tyler Freeman in the offseason.

OF Chase DeLauter 
.180/.339/.400, 3 HR, 5 RBI in 18 games across Double-A and Triple-A

Let’s get weird. 

In 2016, the Guardians went all-in at the trade deadline and dealt away four prospects for Andrew Miller and had a deal in place to trade four more prospects away for catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the catcher nixed the deal. 

The Guardians package for Miller was headlined by Clint Frazier (who was the Guardians’ No. 2 prospect at the time, per MLB Pipeline), while the Lucroy deal would have been headlined by Francisco Mejia, who was the No. 8 prospect. 

Enter DeLauter. 

MLB Pipeline has him as the Guardians’ No. 2 prospect, and he’s oozing with potential. He’s also had trouble staying on the field due to a variety of injuries. 

Had it not been for those injuries, DeLauter likely would have made his Guardians debut by now. And while that lack of playing time has dulled his trade value a bit, he’s still a top-30 prospect with legit hitting skills… making him the exact kind of prospect the Guardians could use to land a big fish. 

It would take a perfect set of circumstances for the Guardians to offer him up, but this iteration of the Guardians’ front office has proven that they’re willing to listen on their top prospects. 

Could DeLauter be the latest one?

LHP Tim Herrin
4-1, 3.80 ERA in 21 1/3 innings 

Herrin put together a stellar season last year when he recorded a 1.92 ERA in 65 2/3 innings as a part of the Guardians’ shutdown bullpen. 

Although Herrin’s been good this year, he hasn’t reached those same heights, in large part due to a lack of command. 

He has one of the worst walk rates in MLB (14.7%) and is surrendering far too much hard contact (49.1% hard-hit rate). 

He’s still lights out against left-handed hitters (.156 average against), though right-handers are having a bit more success (.244). 

His curveball is still filthy (.086 batting average against), but he’s not fooling anyone with his fastball (.389). 

That inconsistency could lead to him being expendable, especially if the Guardians fall out of contention. Teams seemingly always overpay for relief help at the deadline, and the Guardians could get a king’s ransom in return for Herrin thanks to his track record of success and ability to get lefties out. 

RHP Jakob Junis
1-1, 4.76 ERA in 28 1/3 innings

ESPN’s Jeff Passan already highlighted Junis as a player who could be on the trade block, and he’s a player who could be on the move regardless of how the Guardians are doing ahead of the trade deadline. 

Junis was great to open the year but has allowed a run in eight of his past 12 appearances. Hitters are doing better against all four of his pitches compared to last year, and it seems like he’s not fooling anyone. 

Teams across MLB gush about the Guardians “pitching factory,” but it seems like Junis has fallen off the assembly line. 

The Guardians have plenty of minor league players who could fill Junis’ spot in the bullpen, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing somewhere else in August.

OF Lane Thomas 
.119/169./.136, 0 HR, 3 RBI in 17 games

Last year, the Guardians’ acquisition of Thomas was a sign of the team’s commitment toward winning in 2024. 

Could be on the move again less than a year later? 

Thomas had an uninspiring regular season last year before catching fire in the postseason, and his season this year has been defined by starts and stops due to injury. 

He missed a month at the start of the season after being hit by a pitch in the team’s home opener, and he’s currently on the injured list due to right plantar fasciitis, though it isn’t expected to keep him out for a significant period of time. 

Thomas is an impending free agent so moving him would be a good way to capitalize on getting something for him before he potentially leaves for nothing in free agency. 

That said, trading Thomas would send the wrong message to the rest of the team. He’s 100% expendable, but likely will only be on the move if the Guardians bottom out over the next month.