Jeff Passan's latest rankings show how Guardians could control trade deadline

While there’s been plenty of hubbub around the Guardians’ trade deadline plans this season, it’s mostly trickled out from various outlets and insiders. A Lane Thomas trade rumor here, a link to an outfielder there. 

But after coming out at a trickle, the spigot opened on Tuesday thanks to a new article from ESPN insider Jeff Passan, who highlighted the top 50 trade deadline candidates across MLB, which showcased all the different ways the Guardians could impact this year’s trade deadline. 

As mentioned above, Passan’s article ranked the top 50 trade candidates in MLB and broke down the percentage that each player could get traded along with some potential fits for each player. 

And the Guardians were all over the list.

Jeff Passan's latest rankings show how Guardians could control trade deadline

Their biggest presence on the list was the inclusion of Emmanuel Clase as a trade candidate. While that isn’t news in itself, it’s still a bit jarring to see MLB’s most well-connected insider float him as a candidate. 

"Clase was nearly unhittable last season, but his numbers have regressed this season. He has issued more walks and gotten fewer ground balls while allowing more damage on his cutter that averages 99.0 mph -- in part due to more center-cut locations. Under contract for less than $30 million through 2028, he would bring a big return to Cleveland," Passan wrote.

Passan also wrote that the best fits for Clase were the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves, Diamondbacks and Rangers. 

All of those teams make sense considering their respective bullpen problems. The Dodgers have the best record in the National League but are 20th in baseball in bullpen ERA. The same can be said for the Phillies, who are leading the stacked National League East but have a bullpen held together by duct tape and chewing gum. 

The Guardians don’t need to trade Clase, but if they do, they should get a king’s ransom for him. 

But that’s not the only time the Guardians made it on Passan’s list, as they were linked as a possible buyer to Jarren Duran, Marcell Ozuna, Cedric Mullins, Luis Robert Jr., Taylor Ward and Adolis García — all of whom are outfielders. 

Of those six players, García (80%) and Mullins (70%) had the highest percentage of bring traded, per Passan, which makes sense considering they play for losing teams.

García’s Rangers are under .500 for the second season after winning the World Series in 2023, while Mullins’ Orioles have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball.

They’re both former All-Stars, but their profiles are a bit different. García showed out in the postseason in 2023 but has struggled in each of the past two seasons, while Mullins has finished with an OPS+ between 100 and 110 in each of the past four seasons. 

Mullins is an impending free agent whereas García has one more year of team control left, so it would likely take a little more to wrangle García away from the Rangers compared to Mullins. 

Duran’s the clear pie in the sky, and it’s worth noting there’s been some buzz around him and the Guardians already this year. He was the All-Star Game MVP last year and was one of the best outfielders in all of baseball, but has only posted an OPS+ of 97 this year. 

Ozuna has also been linked to the Guardians even if he’d be an imperfect fit on their roster since they already have David Fry as their everyday designated hitter. The Braves seem poised to make a run toward the postseason after a disappointing start to the season, but Ozuna’s an impending free agent, which could impact their decision to trade him, according to Passan. 

It’s hard to believe that he’d be on the trade block since he’s not eligible for free agency until 2029 and possesses all the tools needed to succeed in MLB, but the Red Sox already traded Rafael Devers, so betting on what they’re going to do is a fool's game. 

The same can almost be said for the Guardians. Their two everyday players are on pace to All-Stars, but every other spot in the lineup is held by a platoon or utility player.

They’re going to need to make some kind of move at the trade deadline because of that, and, as Passan’s article showed, they have a chance to dictate how the deadline goes for everyone else.