Taking a way too early look at potential Guardians trade chips

James Karinchak

Numbers wise this could not be a less ideal time for James Karinchak. Karinchak is having the worst season of his young career and has already given up a new career-high five home runs this season. This is in addition to being negatively impacted by the new pace of play rules. Karinchak has not looked comfortable with the new rules in effect and his numbers have shown that.

The inconsistency of Karinchak may make it hard to get anything worthwhile via trade, but with three arbitration years remaining could be enticing enough to the right team.

Viewing Karinchak as potential trade piece is more than just about not living up to expectations. It is about Cleveland having their actual closer Emmanuel Clase under contract until through potentially 2028. It is also about playoff contenders looking to add bullpen pieces to beef up their relief arms for their postseason run. All it takes is a team looking to add or maybe a team losing a key bullpen arm and suddenly Karinchak looks much more attractive on the trade market.