Guardians' strong start powered by long-forgotten Padres trade fleece

On Aug. 31, 2020, the Cleveland Guardians acquired six players from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Mike Celvinger, Greg Allen and Matt Waldron. 

While a lot has happened in the nearly six years since that trade, the Guardians are still reaping the benefits.

And not just in a fun ‘look at this trade tree’ kind of way. But in a real life way where they're getting contirubtions from Gabriel Arias, Austin Hedges and Joey Cantillo — all of whom were part of Cleveland's return in that trade.

And while all three of them have had plenty of peaks and valleys during their time with the Guardians, they’ve both been playing well so far this season and are two big reasons why Cleveland is near the top of the American League Central despite opening the season with one of the toughest schedules in baseball. 

The Guardians are still enjoying benefits of 2020 trade with Padres 

The biggest piece from the trade that’s helped them this season has been Arias.

 Although his strong start to the season hit a snag earlier today when the Guardians placed him on the 15-day injured list, he still had a clear impact on winning through the first week-and-a-half of the Guardians’ season. 

After struggling on the season-opening road trip, he had a great series with the Cubs that included a go-ahead home run in the home opener on a slider away (the kind of pitch that’s given him fits his entire career) before adding a go-ahead single in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. 

He sustained the injury on Monday while running the bases after lining a double into the left-field corner and has been replaced on the roster by Juan Brito. 

Another piece from the trade who has turned things around this season is Hedges, though his journey is a bit different than Arias. 

While Arias is still in his initial stint with the team (he was a 20-year-old prospect who hadn’t played above High-A at the time of the trade), Hedges is on his second tour of duty with Cleveland. 

He spent parts of three seasons with the Guardians after being acquired in that 2020 trade before spending a season away in 2023 that ended with him winning a World Series title with the Rangers.

He returned to Progressive Field for the 2024 season and has signed a one-year contract with the Guardians in every season since.

Although he’s a great defender and clubhouse presence, he’s never been known for his offense. In fact, he entered this season with a career batting average of .185 in 820 games. 

But he’s been much better this season, as he entered play on Tuesday with a batting average of .500 (4-for-8) through two games played. 

An incredibly small sample size, yes, but it’s still an encouraging sign from someone not known for their offense. His biggest swing came on Sunday when he padded the Guardians’ lead in the eighth inning with an RBI single to right field. 

In previous years, that’s the kind of at-bat that usually ends with Hedges walking back to the dugout with his bat in his hand. But instead he recorded a much-needed hit. It may not be sustainable across the entire season, but it’s still fun to enjoy the ride. 

The last piece of the trade who is still helping the Guardians is Joey Cantillo, who has picked up where he left off last season. 

The 26-year-old was named American League Rookie of the Month last September after he posted a 1.55 ERA across five starts, and he has a 3.00 ERA across two starts (nine innings) this season. 

Cantillo’s strong start to the season isn’t as much of a surprise given how last season went, but it’s still a step in the positive direction (and a reminder how lopsided the Guardians’ trade with the Padres has become).