Two Guardians considered among Top 25 names to be dealt by the deadline
Trade season is rapidly approaching, with it comes speculation about just who will be dealt and who may or not be a better fit for a specific team. In prepartion for just that, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report put together a list ranking the Top 25 trade deadline candidates. There is a general set of guidelines for players being selected from certain teams that appear on this list in addition to few exceptions as well. Appearing on this list are two members of the Cleveland Guardians as they currently do not have good odds to make it per the sportsbook mentioned in the article.
Player not included in Top 25
There is one player who is not ranked in the Top 25, but considered to be more noteworthy than having a simple honorable mention distinction and that is Shane Bieber.
We do have a couple of Guardians in the top 25, but Bieber still has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining for a team that both could find its way back into the mix for this year's AL Central crown and also should expect to win the division in 2024. Maybe they explore trading him if they've already decided they don't want to pay what will be an eight-figure salary next season, but it's unlikely they've reached that conclusion.
It is a lot of the same old, same old when it comes to Bieber here. It comes down to two things, does the front office want to pay his salary next season or do they want to try and maximize thier return with two potential playoff runs for the team that acquires him. There is also the option that Bieber remains a Guardian for this year and into next if they want him to be the consistent and stable presence on a rotation with plenty of young talent coming up. This would prove beneficial later in the season if the Guardians are in the mix for the playoffs and if some of their rookie rotation arms are nearing any innings limit that has been placed upon them. It will not be too long before this will they or won't they finally comes to an end.
15. Amed Rosario
This is not a particularly surprising development. Amed Rosario's time in a Cleveland Guardians uniform is coming to an end either at the trade deadline or the end of this season. There are simply too many internal options waiting to take on a full time role in Cleveland who are currently blocked by an underperforming lineup mainstay. The Guardians front office has to get real answers on those players soon as they cannot continue kicking the can down the road in this area. Rosario is the second-highest ranked shorstop on this list, only behind Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox, ranked number two.
11. Josh Bell
Coming in at number 11 on this list is Josh Bell. Bell has been underwhelming so far and that is putting it nicely. As mentioned in the list, the production that the Guardians are getting from Bell for how much they are paying him ($16.5 million) may make it difficult for the switch-hitter to remain in town. Perhaps a change of scenery would be best for both parties, (another) new setting for Bell while the Guardians utilize the DH role in more of a rotating fashion. This way they can give at-bats to players who are not currently able to crack the lineup often enough and give players a day off their feet without taking their bat out of the lineup. Bell was the highest first baseman and second-highest designated hitter to appear on the list, behind Miami's Jorge Soler at number four.