Kyle Manzardo is beginning to look like a franchise cornerstone for the Guardians 

Take yourself back to the 2023 trade deadline. Lance Lynn ended up going to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Justin Verlander reunited with the Astros. Max Scherzer became a Texas Ranger. 

And, in a trade that didn’t garner a ton of headlines, the Guardians traded Aaron Civale to the Rays in exchange for then-prospect Kyle Manzardo. 

At the time, the trade went over so poorly in the Guardians’ clubhouse that Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff had to travel to Houston to mend relationships with the team after the trade.

But, like seemingly everything in life, the resulting payoff has been worth it thanks to some strong play from Manzardo. 

Kyle Manzardo is beginning to look like a franchise cornerstone for the Guardians 

While Manzardo took a great first step toward adding to his Guardians legacy with his postseason home run against the Yankees last year, he’s spent the better part of the 2025 season showing all of Cleveland why the Guardians’ front office decided to take a gamble and trade for him. 

Manzardo entered play on Wednesday slashing .244/.323/.421 with 21 home runs and 53 RBI, the kind of numbers befitting a first baseman in today’s game. But he’s been even better as of late, as he’s hit .361/.444/.705 with six home runs and 16 RBI in the second half, which is good for wRC+ of 215 (the fourth-best mark in baseball over that span).  

It’s also proven that Manzardo can handle everyday playing time. Earlier in the year it seemed like the Guardians front office was struggling with how to properly handle Manzardo, but they’ve taken him off the leash over the past month and he’s rewarded them with some strong play. 

Oh, and he homered off Civale right before the trade deadline, in case you needed any more confirmation that the Guardians’ won the trade. 

His breakout also means the Guardians have one less position to worry about in regard to the future. 

José Ramírez has third base locked down Steven Kwan is a staple in left field (for now) and the middle infield appears to be set with some combination of Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann and Brayan Rocchio, which means the Guardians will just have to continue their never-ending quest to find long-term solutions in center field and right field.  

But, thanks to Manzardo, the future of first base is no longer a concern. 

It also means that there’s a chance the Guardians’ trade for Josh Naylor could also look even better as the years go on, though that’s admittedly a little more complex situation. 

While Manzardo wasn’t the whole reason why the Guardians traded Naylor in the offseason, they likely felt more comfortable trading him away given they had Manzardo waiting in the wings. 

And, with Carlos Santana likely on his way out after the season, it can finally be his full-time (though we’ll likely see a little sprinkle of C.J. Kayfus when he’s not in right field). 

While the Guardians offense may not have the star power of some other American League juggernauts, it has Ramírez and Manzardo. That’s been enough to get the Guardians back into the postseason hunt.