Don't lose hope, Guardians fans - Cleveland will be active this offseason

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As some free agents sign elsewhere, it's important to remember this front office never really has been a big player in the free-agent market. Instead, with a wealth of near-MLB-ready middle infielders and pitching, it makes more sense for the club to acquire pieces via trades this offseason.

It's no secret that the Guardians could stand to upgrade a few positions, namely catcher, first base, and possibly another starter. Even if each of these additions is only a stopgap for the next three seasons, this roster is solid but could be even better.

If I were to bet, I would imagine the front office will sign one or two free agents and look to similarly make one or two trades to land a few starting-caliber pieces to this roster puzzle. Using this as our North Star, I'm going to propose a series of realistic trades (hey, you have to give up something in order to receive something back). And with the Winter Meetings fast approaching next week, what better time to explore some potential trade scenarios than right now?

I'll be using Baseball Trade Values to evaluate each trade. That "TV" you see in each trade is the numeric value assigned by BTV for the collection of players. Again, each of these trades is designed to be as equal to each team, but if they happen to favor the Guardians, well, sorry.

Trade Scenario 1 to Acquire a Catcher: Gavin Williams and Tyler Freeman (TV: 41) to Toronto for Alejandro Kirk (TV: 39.3)

Toronto may want more immediate help in exchange for Kirk, but a highly valued pitching prospect and the former #1 ranked prospect in the organization could also be a big enough haul to change their minds.

Kirk would immediately provide the Guardians with a middle-of-the-lineup bat and respectable defensive metics. But most importantly, Kirk provides insurance in case Bo Naylor isn't ready for the bulk of the catching duties next year. Kirk could also fill in at DH, too. Not to mention Kirk fits the Guardians M.O. perfectly, walking 83 times and striking out 84 times in over 200 games. He also owns a respectable .278/.362/.426 career slash line.

Alternate Trade: Gavin Williams, Tyler Freeman, and Gabriel Aries (48.8) to Oakland for Sean Murphy (TV: 51.3)

The competition to land Murphy is going to be intense, which is one reason I would prioritize other catchers over him, but this isn't meant to be an indictment on Murphy. This particular three-player haul for the A's would likely fit their timetable perfectly, but could potentially limit the Guardians from swinging many other trades.

While Murphy is a bit older, he'll play the 2023 season at 28 years old. He does posess both defensive skills sought by the front office and an improved bat. In the past two seasons, Murphy has appeared in 267 games, averaging 49 extra-base hits (18 home runs), 62 RBI, and a .236/.321/.417 slash line.

Trade Scenario 2 to Acquire a Starting Pitcher: Gavin Williams, Tyler Freeman, and George Valera (TV: 67.7) to Los Angeles for Shohei Ohtani (TV: 61.1)

Boy would this be huge, and if you're going to take a swing, you might as well go big. Now, I'd put the likelihood of this deal at about .001%. But as we all know, "So you're telling me there's a chance?!"

Ohtani will become a free agent following the 2023 season, and is already earning $30 million this season. So again, it's extremely unlikely he finds himself here in a Guardians uniform, but it could be fun, and excuse me for daydreaming during the offseason.

Alternate Trade: Zach Plesac and Gabriel Aries (TV: 13.2) to Miami for Braxton Garrett (TV: 17.6)

It seems like the writing has been on the wall with Plesac for a while now but he still could be a decent middle-of-the-rotation piece for the Marlins to use or possibly even flip. Arias still possesses that prospect label, which may be enough for the Marlins, who are looking for better defense up the middle as well as a better approach at the plate from their hitters.

The Guardians in return would acquire a left-handed starter, something the club hasn't routinely had since the days of Cliff Lee. The Guardians do currently have two left-handed starters making their way through the system in Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo, but Garrett could be a buy-low insurance policy, and he's still only 25 years old.

Trade Scenario 3 for an Outfielder/DH: Aaron Civale, George Valera, and Tyler Freeman (TV: 53.6) to Pittsburgh for Bryan Reynolds (TV: 59.9)

This would be a big one if it went down, and honestly I'm not confident the Pirates would consider a trade where they only acquire two (one former) top five organizational prospects and a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher, but if they did - oh baby!

An everyday outfield of Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, and Reynolds would be one of the most fun defensive units in the game. And that would push Oscar Gonzalez to more of a full-time DH role, while Will Brennan would likely become the de facto fourth outfielder due to his ability to play each outfield spot.

Alternate Trade: Chase DeLauter (TV: 14.4) to St. Louis for Alec Burleson (TV: 16.5)

Being able to land a player such as Burleson would be a nice get considering he is under team control through the 2028 season and is also able to play some in the outfield as well as man first and DH too.

Burleson is a left-handed bat who rocketed through the Cardinals' system during the 2021 season playing in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. In 228 minor-league games, Burleson slashed .300/.350/.492 with 43 doubles, 42 home runs, and 163 RBI. Having just turned 24 years old, Burleson is still very much in that prospect mold, but if he is able to translate his minor-league numbers to the the bigs, he could be another core piece to this roster.

I would like to reiterate, I don't pretend to know what exactly every other team out there is thinking or would want in return for any trade. These proposed trades are merely a shot-in-the-dark attempt at realistic trades the Guardians could swing while not wiping out their entire farm system. There is no realistic way the team could swing three of the aforementioned trades. Two, maybe. One, I most certainly hope so.

The club should be players in both the free-agent market and on the trade front. And I would argue that a Josh Bell, Trey Mancini, Mitch Haniger, Corey Kluber, or Taijuan Walker type could be a more likely addition as any of those guys could fit the club's needs for the next 2-3 seasons.

But supplementing the roster via both the free-agent market and trade route seems like the most obvious scenario for this offseason.

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