4 Guardians players who shouldn't survive the deadline

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The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and the Cleveland Guardians do not appear poised to be buying at the deadline. With starting off the second half by being swept in Texas things appear to be trending in the wrong direction. There is still a handful of games that Cleveland should come out victorious in, but it still might not be enough to retake the American League Central division lead from the Minnesota Twins.

If a near instant turnaround does not happen, it would not be a surprise to see them team trade away a few players. Should the Guardians enter some sort of sell mode, there are four players who are candidates to not survive the deadline in Cleveland.

Cam Gallagher

At the current moment in time the Guardians have three players who can man the catcher position in Bo Naylor, David Fry, and Cam Gallagher. The future of the position clearly belongs to the younger Naylor while they have a capable versatile backup in Fry. This leaves Gallagher as the odd man out here.

Gallagher is someone who plays more than he should and is really just complicating things at the current moment for the Guardians. There are players, such as Naylor, who need to find their way to the field more frequently. The presence of players of like Gallagher who should rarely see the field (if ever) is only complicating things. Removing him from the equation seems to be a logical end point here as Cleveland needs to start sorting out who is part of the future and who is clearly not. Gallagher falls in into the latter category and not the former.

This would not be about getting something substantial in return for Gallagher, it would be about freeing up room on the major league roster for others to have their chance. Additionally, having someone who can play multiple positions as the backup in Fry would allow Terry Francona to utilize his full bench through pinch hitting and position changes late in the game.

Myles Straw

Watching Myles Straw play for the Cleveland Guardians the last two seasons has been an exercise in frustration to say the least.

At first it looked like Cleveland got a steal in Straw after acquiring him from Houston in 2021. Straw was excellent defensively and was an instant difference maker on the basepaths, stealing 13 bases in 60 games for the Guardians. The then 26-year old center fielder was even hitting, slashing .285/.362/.377 with 16 doubles and two home runs while scoring 42 runs. This led to Cleveland's front office signing him to an extension that has since worked out poorly.

The next 243 games have seen Straw be a complete disaster at the plate. Struggling with a .225/.295/.281 slash with 35 doubles and six triples. The only real saving grace is the 31 steals, which does not even seem impressive now that the stolen base is all the way back in baseball. Even when Straw was not hitting it could be said that he was at least solid defensively, but that is not even the case anymore. Straw's play in the outfield has been disastrous lately and can no longer be a reason for him to a regular lineup fixture.

Like Gallagher on the previous slide, Cleveland would not get much of anything for Straw. This follows the same logic as removing someone from the equation who should not be playing as much as he should. It would be one thing if Straw only made appearances as a late game defensive replacement or strategic pinch runner. Considering he is still be deployed as a regular starter despite struggling in nearly every facet of the game, The Guardians may be better off if he is no longer here.

Josh Bell

The Cleveland Guardians were hoping that Josh Bell's dropoff upon being traded San Diego late last season was just an anomaly and not an indicator of a steep decline in play. While Bell has been better in Cleveland (slightly), things have not quite worked out in a manner that everyone would like.

Bell was one of two "big" free agent signings by the Guardians this offseason that appear to be certified misses. The team already moved on from Mike Zunino due to poor performance and this is the same course of action they should take with Bell.

The 30-year old switch-hitting first baseman and designated hitter has a disappointing .232/.321/.379 slash line to go with what is currently his lowest OPS (.700) over a full season with one ballcllub (Bell's .669 with Pittsburgh came during the shortened 2020 season).

Moving Bell would open the DH spot full-time allowing Cleveland to rotate players in and out as needed. But motivations go beyond just freeing up a roster spot for the Guardians. Bell's contract with Cleveland has a $16.5 million player-option for next season attached. Considering that this is just what Bell is now as a player and him opting-in seems to be an inevitability, getting out from overpaying for next season should be a priority for Cleveland. There is just no way to justify Bell being on the books for next year and the front office should make every effort to move him ahead of the deadline.

Amed Rosario

The most polarizing player on the 2023 Cleveland Guardians, Amed Rosario. It is very unlikely that Rosario is the starting shorstop in Cleveland next season and the Guardians should face that reality and get something for him while they can.

The thing with Rosario is not that he is a bad player or that he has been a disappointment like two others on this list. Rosario is a very solid player that should have some level of demand on the trade market if he were to be shopped. The issue at hand is that Rosario is a floor-raiser and not a ceiling-raiser. This type of player is useful and can work in the right environment, it just is not the case for the Guardians this season. It could be an entirely different scenario for Rosario if Cleveland was not decimated with pitching injuries and appear to limping their way to the upcoming trade deadline.

In fact, the Guardians have enjoyed some pretty steady play from Rosario over his two first seasons with the club. The fact that this team appears to be fading back from being a possible contender should make someone like Rosario expendable in their eyes. The odds seemed stacked against the Guardians at the current moment and if they see the Twins grow their lead in the division, moving Rosario in order to give some of their younger guys meaningful playing time should be the primary focus to end the season.

Cleveland has to figure out what, if anything they have in a few players and that is not able to happen if Rosario is still manning shortstop on a daily basis.