The Cleveland Guardians’ biggest need entering the 2022-23 offseason

Cleveland Will Be Opportunistic in Trades This Offseason

There are two ways the Guardians can, and likely will, improve their offense via trade. The first is adding hitters capable of hitting more home runs, and the second is trading away players who, while valuable, did not contribute much in the way of power.

There has already been speculation about how the Guardians could add a power hitter or two to their lineup. We at ABG have already explored what it might take for Cleveland to acquire first baseman Rhys Hoskins from Philadelphia. Hoskins is a player that makes a lot of sense given his 30 home runs, 30 doubles, and relatively modest salary in his final year of arbitration. Given that he is just a year away from free agency, the prospect cost to acquire him would likely not be prohibitive.

Going a different route, the Guardians could look to acquire a younger power hitter with more years of control. Rising Apple’s Tim Boyle pointed out that the Guardians and Mets once again make for potential trade partners, and the Mets have multiple young players who could fit what Cleveland needs. First baseman Mark Vientos is major-league ready and could project as the second-biggest power threat on the Guardians (behind José Ramírez). Ronny Mauricio is a shortstop with some power who could replace Amed Rosario if the Guardians decided to trade him as well.

Look for the Guardians to be opportunistic in trades this offseason. Myles Straw makes for an interesting trade candidate and would be automatically replaced by some combination of Nolan Jones, Will Brennan and/or George Valera, all of whom would provide more offensively for the Guardians. Rosario makes for another interesting trade candidate given that he plays a premium position and his price tag is escalating via arbitration.