Recent Guardians Rookie of the Year candidate released yet again in difficult blow

While the Cleveland Indians didn't reach the postseason in 2019, there were still plenty of highlights from their 93-win season. Shane Bieber becoming All-Star game MVP. José Ramírez going on an late-season tear. Carlos Santana mashing 34 home runs.

But, at the time, one of the highlights that seemed like it could impact the team in the long-term was the emergence of outfielder Oscar Mercado, who finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting and looked like a long-term piece in Cleveland's outfield.

That didn't ended up being the case, as he was out of Cleveland 2 1/2 years later and is now a minor league free agent after opting out of his minor league contract with the Phillies, per a report from MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams.

Former Guardian Oscar Mercado released yet again in difficult blow

Mercado was playing in Triple-A with the Phillies, where he was slashing .252/.373/.385 with nine home runs and 54 RBI in 92 games. He's shown good plate discipline (55 walks compared to 52 steals), has stolen 35 bases and has a .941 OPS against lefties this year.

Mercado was likely hoping the Phillies would call him up to help with their outfield problems, but they elected to trade for Harrison Bader from the Twins, which made Mercado's path to the MLB roster even tougher.

Mercado's aformentioned 2019 season stands out as the highlight of his career, as he finished the year with a .269 batting average to go along with 15 home runs and 54 RBI along with 15 stolen bases. While Cleveland didn't make the postseason, he helped lead the team down the stretch run with a hot September that made him look like a long-term piece for Cleveland's future.

That didn't end up being the case.

Mercado hit just .128 in 34 games in the truncated 2020 season before posting a .669 OPS in 72 games in the lost 2021 season. He only managed to play in 54 games with the Guardians in 2022 before being designated for assignment.

He then signed with the Phillies and played in one (1) major league game with them. His last MLB action came in 2023 when he played in 23 games with the Cardinals — the organization that originally drafted him. Cleveland acquired him in 2018 in exchange for Conner Capel.

He spent the 2024 season at Triple-A for the Tigers and Padres.

Although he hasn't played in the majors in nearly two years, there will likely be some kind of market for Mercado's services given his speed and ability to hit left-handers. Teams in the postseason hunt can always use more reinforcements, while teams playing for next year are always looking to unearth the next gem.

Mercado, 30, would have multiple years of team control left.

It's worth pointing out that he wouldn't be the worst fit on the Guardians' roster. The team's outfielders have combined for the second-worst wRC+ in baseball (77). Those outfielders have also combined for a 71 wRC+ against left-handers.

Mercado may not be a perfect player, but he could be helpful to the Guardians.