Is Ángel Martínez a legit option in the outfield for the Guardians?

The Cleveland Guardians have developed a reputation for being a bit of a cheap organization, and for good reason. They need seem to truly invest in the team unless they're a clear contender, which makes it hard to believe that they'll make any kind of push to improve the team's outfield at the trade deadline.

While Steven Kwan has been great in left field since making his MLB debut in 2022 and is on the cusp of being an All-Star for the second straight year, the Guardians haven't been able to find a solid everyday outfielder who can play next to him.

Or have they?

Is Ángel Martínez a legit option in the outfield for the Guardians?

Since the Guardians likely won't trade for a star, we're left to assume that they're planning on hoping that one of the players they have on the roster will be step up. Could that player be Ángel Martínez?

Martínez has appeared in 66 games for the Guardians this year and has recorded a .234/.259/.356 to go along with five home runs and 25 RBI. While most of his numbers have jumped up this year, he's still be worth -0.6 bWAR so far this year.

That said, he's still capable of playing multiple positions in the field and is a switch-hitter, which could help him find an MLB home with the Guardians.

If Martínez can start to get more confident and comfortable at the plate, he has a legitimate shot at becoming a staple in the outfield alongside Kwan.

In regards to his fielding, Cleveland has only looked at him as a center fielder where he has a .966 fielding percentage with four errors. While that is an oddly high amount of errors, he is still a young player transitioning from infield play. 

Martínez worked as an infielder from 2019 to 2023 before the Guardians approached him about moving to the outfield last year. After playing 185 games at second base and 140 games as a shortstop throughout his career, he learned a new postion on the fly. By the end of the season, he was playing for the Guardians in the postseason.

He's still only played in 82 career games in the outfield, so it's only natural for him to go through some growing pains.

And even though he's struggled, the rest of the Guardians roster hasn't done much to lap him. Nolan Jones has been worth 1.0 bWAR this year, while Lane Thomas has been worth -0.7 bWAR, Johnathan Rodríguez has been worth -0.5 bWAR and Jhonkensy Noel a -1.1 bWAR. All of those players have hurt the team in some way

Although Martínez in in his second year, he has better statistics than each of the other Guardians and also provides a bit more value than some of the other players on the roster. He has an incredibly high ceiling, and can still be a cornerstone outfielder next to Kwan.