Guardians can fleece Dodgers in Emmanuel Clase trade with this hefty package

At face value, there aren’t many similarities between the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Guardians regularly rank near the bottom of spending in MLB and have never given out a contract more than $141 million. On the other side, the Dodgers are baseball’s top seller and currently have five players on their roster who are signed to contracts of $162 million or more. 

And while those differences lead to different factors and thinking when it comes to roster construction, it could also lead to the Guardians taking advantage of Los Angeles’ desire to win in a trade between the two clubs. 

Guardians can fleece Dodgers in Emmanuel Clase trade with this hefty package

According to a new story from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Dodgers have heavily scouted some of the top relief options on the market, one of whom was Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase. 

The Dodgers’ interest in Clase shouldn’t come as a surprise considering they have the 24th-worst bullpen ERA in baseball (4.38) and Clase could be under control until 2028 thanks to a team-friendly deal and multiple club options. 

While trading Clase would be a tough pill to swallow considering Cleveland’s strong play as of late, it could still be a shrewd baseball move that could help set the team up for success. 

After a rough start to the season, Clase has only allowed one run over the past month and is back to looking like the pitcher who finished last year with a 0.61 ERA.

The Dodgers could also be the perfect trade partner since they’ve shown they have no problem dealing from their prospect depth to try to capitalize on their roster in any given year. 

In 2008, Cleveland took advantage of Los Angeles’ hole at third base and shipped Casey Blake to the Dodgers in exchange for a catching prospect named Carlos Santana. Seventeen years later, Santana’s one of the best players in Guardians history. 

The Dodgers also dealt away Yordan Alvarez and Oneil Cruz when they were both prospects in exchange for deals that included major league relievers. The Guardians could be the next team to pull off a prospect fleece. 

Last week, ESPN Los Angeles reported there were “whispers” about a deal that would send Steven Kwan and Clase to Los Angeles in exchange for pitchers Justin Wrobleski and Ben Casparius along with Josue De Paula and one more mystery prospect.

While that trade package is a great framework, it would likely take more than that to get a deal done for both of them. Wrobleski and Casparius have both worked as swingmen for the Dodgers this year thanks to their unconventional pitching setup, but both project as starters long-term. 

De Paula is the Dodgers’ top prospect per MLB Pipeline and was just named the MVP of the Futures Game, but that still might not be enough for Los Angeles to steal Kwan and Clase from the Guardians. 

Last week, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported the Guardians were listening to offers on Clase and Cade Smith, but said that their asking prices are high, as they should be.

Kwan still has 2 1/2 seasons of team control left and Clase has 3 1/2 years of extremely affordable control; they wouldn’t be your average trade deadline acquisition.  But if Cleveland’s able to get those players and one or two solid prospects, then things would be different. 

The Guardians seem poised to once again straddle the line between buyer and seller at this year’s trade deadline, and this trade would allow them to do both — even if it would be a sucker punch to the fan base.