Chris Antonetti gets trade deadline buzzer beater in Guardians' confusing trade with Reds

Last week, Kyle Manzardo staked his case to be the Guardians' everyday first baseman with a strong series against the Reds where smashed two home runs, one of which was a grand slam.

It turns out the Guardians liked what they saw at first base on the other side of the diamond, too.

On Monday, the Guardians finished off their trade deadline by nailing down a buzzer-beating deal with the Reds that netted them first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.

According to The Athletic's Zack Meisel, the Guardians gave up minor league pitcher Alejandro Rivera in the deal.

Even though the Guardians could clearly use some additional help in their lineup, their decision to trade for Lowe is a bit confusing due to how it could impact the rest of Cleveland's roster.

The Guardians' trade for Nathaniel Lowe is a bit confusing

Lowe's played in 83 games with the Reds this season, and has recorded a .266/.341/.480 slashline with 12 home runs and 37 RBI.

Fine production, sure, but the Guardians already have a left-handed hitting first baseman on their roster in the form of Manzardo, who has hit 13 home runs and driven in 39 runs in 102 games.

And it would be one thing is Lowe was good in a same-side platoon, but almost all of his damage has come against left-handed pitching. He has a .885 OPS against right-handed pitching compared to a 2-for-24 showing against southpaws.

it made sense that the Guardians would want to upgrade their first base picture, but it seemed like they'd go after a right-handed hitter to replace Rhys Hoskins as opposed to another left-handed option like Manzardo.

The good news is that the Guardians didn't give up much in exchange for Lowe, as Rivera is as close to a lottery ticket prospect as you can find. He's posted a 3.06 ERA in 53 innings across Single-A and High-A this season.

Although it looks like Antonetti and the Guardians' front office have struck gold with their trades for Jo Adell and Foster Griffin earlier today, their deal for Lowe doesn't seem like a win at first blush.

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