FanSided

3 former Guardians that would be a welcome sight to this current lineup

By James Mastrucci |
Divisional Round - Houston Astros v Cleveland Indians - Game Three
Divisional Round - Houston Astros v Cleveland Indians - Game Three / Gregory Shamus/GettyImages
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The Cleveland Guardians offense is one of, if not the worst in all of baseball. Not being able to hit for average or power, they really are not capable of producing enough positive results to lead to wins. At seven games below .500 and 4.5 games back of the 26-24 American League Central leading Twins, this Guardians team is missing a few of their former players that have moved on one way or another. In fact, these players would be a welcome sight to their lineup as they need a jolt (or several) to get things going if they are actually be competitive later in the season.

Yandy Diaz

As evidenced by the cover photo, Yandy Diaz is someone this team is currently missing big time. It has been quite some time since Diaz last appeared in a Cleveland uniform, so this is more of a long-term than instant regret. It took a bit longer than anticipated for him to finally hit his stride and not be the hypothetical every day lineup presence many projected him as. This is in addition to the long list of injuries Diaz has dealt with since being traded after the 2018 season.

Diaz was always someone who hit the ball extremely hard and for the longest time the ball was not getting in the air enough. That has changed and Diaz is finally driving the ball consitently enough to finally land him in the "miss" category of moves by this front office. Diaz and his current 188 wRC+ to go with his .322/.425/.599 slash line would look really nice manning first base on a regular basis right about now.

Yan Gomes

Yan Gomes has made a few stops since being traded by Cleveland in 2018. Going from Washington, to Oakland, and now Chicago as the backstop for the Cubs. Gomes has not quite been able to put up a comparable season to his 2018 campaign, but the 2023 season looks like it could come close. Slashing .292/.311/.490 in 27 games, Gomes has been able to hit for a good average while waiting on the extra-base hits to come (six home runs and one double).

The Guardians current options at catcher are Mike Zunino and Cam Gallagher are just not doing it. Even if Gomes were to level off offensively, his ability defensively more than makes up for it, and that is something that does not apply to the current Cleveland catching duo.

Owen Miller

It was always going to be tough to work in at-bats for Owen Miller in 2023. The Guardians were banking on the duo of Josh Naylor and Josh Bell handling duties at first base and designated hitter in addition to having Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, and Amed Rosario starting at their respective positions with Gabriel Arias finding playing time and Tyler Freeman occupying a bench spot (and nothing more for some reason) currently.

With players entrenched in their roles and the so many infielders waiting in the wings for their chance, it was understandable why Cleveland traded Miller to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, Miller is producing right now while most of Cleveland's lineup is not. Miller's nine doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBI to go with his .915 OPS in 34 games woud help bridge the gap between the Guardians current substandard offensive output and league average.

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