4 Guardians players who shouldn't survive the deadline

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.