Angel Genao’s latest prospect ranking confirms he can help Guardians win trade deadline

We’ve officially hit prospect re-rank season. With the draft in the rearview mirror and the trade deadline less than two weeks away, every prospect evaluator has started to release an updated version of their prospect rankings ahead of a time when every MLB team (including the Guardians) are open for business. 

And while the Guardians don’t immediately jump out as a team that could go all-in at the deadline, Keith Law’s re-rank proves they have the ammunition to do so, as he ranked Guardians shortstop prospect Angel Genao as the No. 17 prospect in baseball. 

Although Law seems to be a bit bullish on Genao compared to some other prospect evaluators (our Eric Cole ranked him as the No. 38 prospect), he’s clearly a rising star who holds some value to the Guardians thanks to his big league future as a switch-hitting middle-infield. 

But there’s also an argument to be made that he holds just as much, if not more, value as a trade chip the Guardians could use to turn the trade deadline on its head. 

Angel Genao could be an X-factor for the Guardians at this year's trade deadline

The biggest reason why it makes sense to think of Genao as a trade chip instead of a part of the Guardians’ future is that they already have their middle-infield set with Travis Bazzana at second and Bryan Rocchio at first. 

While there’s an argument to be made that the Guardians should shift Bazzana to the outfield, that shouldn’t stop them from dangling Genao when his value is at its highest. 

The expanded postseason means that nearly every team is within sniffing distance of a postseason spot (sorry Rockies and Angels), which makes it even tougher to pry players away from teams on the fringes. 

Although there are going to be plenty of budget options available at the cost of a lottery ticket prospect or two, there are plenty of big fish available who could help the Guardians. 

Imagine San Diego’s Adrián Morejón setting the table ahead of Cade Smith or Spencer Steer bouncing around the diamond while providing José Ramírez with some right-handed hitting protection. 

But none of them are going to come cheap, which is where Genao comes in. He entered the weekend hitting .296/.402/.469 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 86 games across Double-A and Triple-A this year. He’s actually been better since getting promoted to Triple-A, as he’s recorded a .886 OPS in 62 games at the level. 

He’s clearly ready for the big leagues, but the Guardians simply don’t have room for him right now. 

That makes him the perfect prospect to dangle at the trade deadline since he’d be equally attractive to teams that want to compete now along with teams that are a couple years away from being a true contender. 

Ten years ago the Guardians’ front office dominated the trade deadline by not being afraid to deal some prospects in exchange for Andrew Miller. While they may not make as big of a move this year, Genao gives them a clear trump card in any potential trade talks.

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