Guardians trade regrets from offseason shuffle might be creeping in

This past offseason saw the Cleveland Guardians make a flurry of moves that have resulted in the right side of their infield having a different look. These trades were made with the intention of trying to bolster their pitching staff while also offloading the salaries of two highly paid players.

This is a continuation of Cleveland's long ongoing threading-the-needle approach they have taken in regard to handling the construction of their roster. While a certain level of success is maintained by taking this approach, it can lead to deals that, if given a chance for a do-over, they might take it.

Guardians are on the wrong end of their first base swap

The deal that sent Josh Naylor to Arizona for Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick is not off to a great start for the Guardians. This is less about what Cleveland has gotten out of Cecconi (literally nothing, as he is on the injured list currently) and more about what they gave up in Naylor.

Through X games, Naylor is slashing .323/.394/.510 with six doubles, four home runs, and 17 runs batted in. Comparing that to the production of Carlos Santana (.204/.272/.290 slash, two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI), it is obvious that the Guardians got the short end of the stick, at least early on.

Naylor becoming a free agent after 2024 is over was a factor in Cleveland's decision to trade him, as it should allow for the flexibility this team prefers to have from a financial commitment perspective. There is a chance in time that this trade works out in their favor, but a lot of things are going to have to break right for that to happen, and at the end of the day, it may have been better to just pay and extend Naylor.

Gimenez goes to Toronto, Guardians receive Luis Ortiz in three-team swap

The less lopsided of the two deals Cleveland made this past winter featured Andres Gimenez landing with the Toronto Blue Jays while the Guardians eventually acquired pitcher Luis Ortiz from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ortiz has a 5.96 ERA, 1.558 WHIP, and a 10.9 K/9 ratio in five starts this year. Walks have been a major issue for Ortiz, having issued 14 free passes this season, including 10 in his past three starts. While he has managed to accumulate 26 strikeouts, and Cleveland has won two of his starts during that time frame, it is incredibly difficult, if not completely impossible way to maintain success in this manner.

Ortiz's last outing, which featured five walks and eight strikeouts, resulted in throwing over 100 pitches and failing to get out of the fifth inning against the New York Yankees. It may be possible to get by against lesser teams with the inconsistent outings from Ortiz, but against real teams like the Yankees, it simply will not fly.

The only real reason this trade has not looked like a complete disaster like the above-mentioned Naylor to Arizona deal is the fact that Andres Gimenez is not hitting at the moment. After a hot start in Toronto, Gimenez's offensive production has cratered. Gimenez is slashing .194/.276/.333 with four doubles and three home runs while striking out 20 times and walking eight.

This was the offensive freefall the Guardians were looking to avoid, and Gimenez's contract, including the upcoming salary increases that will eventually reach just over $23.5 million for three years, made retaining him an unnecessary risk in their eyes.

The winner of this trade will be revealed eventually, but for now, neither team is the winner here. This is not to say there is a loser here, just no team that can claim at this point.