Outfield help motivating factor in two trade proposals for Shane Bieber

Second Trade Proposal: Shane Bieber and James Karinchak to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman

Of the two deals, this one is much more intriguing. Finding a way to get a package in return for Shane Bieber and James Karinchak that allows them to acquire two players at positions of need who have multiple arbitration-eligible years remaining would be a massive win for the Guardians. Bowden would mention that have depth in their outfield, which makes parting ways with Dylan Carlson palatable while also acknowledging that losing Tommy Edman may hurt a little bit, but getting this pitching help makes it hurt less.

There is another indirect impact of a deal like this for the Guardians. It would give the team a starting shortstop to plug into their infield and allow the front office to trade away a couple of their infield options to improve their roster in other areas. Finding a way to clear some of their roster clutter that is either uninspiring or unable to prove they are a legitimate long-term answer for this organization.

The Guardians are in a position where they have a few franchise cornerstone-level players on their roster, surrounded by options who do not move the needle all that much. Finding a way to bring that group to an acceptable level sooner rather than later is an absolute must for this ball club. A multi-player deal like this allows Cleveland to address their shortcomings via this trade, while subsequent deals of players who no longer fit into the puzzle in a year-over-year aspect can be moved to improve the roster's floor.