Cleveland Guardians rumors: They are among handful of teams interested in Sean Murphy

The Cleveland Guardians are definitely in the Sean Murphy sweepstakes, it's just going to be a matter of outbidding what is becoming a fairly crowded field.

The Guardians appear to be in the mix with at least four other teams, including the Rays, Red Sox, Cardinals, and maybe the Braves, although Atlanta's president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos, did try to put that rumor to bed.

Either way, there should be some stiff competition for Murphy's services. After all, there are always going to be teams in desperate need of offensive help at this position. Not to mention Murphy would be under any team's control for the next three seasons. That's a very tantalizing proposition, especially for the more cost-conscious teams out there like Cleveland and Tampa Bay. The Guardians and Rays also have some of the deepest farm systems out there, so it wouldn't be surprising to see either team land Murphy.

There's a growing sense that Murphy will be traded before the end of the Winter Meetings this week, so there should be an answer very soon as to whether or not he'll be opening up the 2023 season in a Guardians uniform.