Two of Guardians’ biggest mistakes will be on full display in 2026 All-Star Game 

In a 10 month span between November 2021 and September 2022, the Cleveland Guardians let go of Junior Caminero and Ernie Clement in two separate moves. 

Caminero went first when Cleveland traded him to the Rays in exchange for Tobias Myers when Caminero was a low-level prospect, and Clement was designated for assignment to make room for Will Brennan. 

At the time, both moves were minor ones that didn’t rise above the normal drumbeat of MLB transaction season. 

But the importance of both of those moves will be on full display later today when the American League All-Star team takes the field with Clement (who is now with the Blue Jays) manning second base and Caminero at third. 

Ernie Clement and Junior Caminero are going to star in the All-Star Game

Of the two, Caminero has become the bigger name and is one of the best sluggers in MLB. 

He put himself on the map last year with a 45-homer season that included an All-Star nod and Home Run Derby runner-up finish. 

He’s been even better this season (28 HR, 59 RBI, .927 OPS), and just starred in his second Home Run Derby. 

The Guardians’ decision to trade Caminero made sense at the time considering they needed pitching at the time and had José Ramírez entrenched at third base. 

The Rays grabbed Caminero as a lottery ticket, and he ended up being everything they wanted and more. 

While Clement wasn’t as much of a lottery ticket as Caminero, the Blue Jays have turned Cleveland’s loss into their gain. 

Clement ended up finishing the 2022 season with The Athletics, and signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays before the 2023 season. 

His first full season with Toronto came in 2024, and he became a star last year when he became an everyday player with the Blue Jays before setting a new MLB record with 30 hits in last year’s postseason. 

He’s become a legitimate star in Canada, which is why he ended up leading the American League in All-Star voting. 

Although Clement isn’t having as good of a defensive season as 2025, he has a .296/.318/.433 slashline with eight home runs, 32 RBI and an American League-leading 23 doubles. 

Now, the All-Star Game isn’t going to be all bad for the Guardians considering they have three players of their own who are going to be playing in the Midsummer Classic in Parker Messick, Cade Smith and Travis Bazzana. 

But the presence of Clement and Caminero in the starting lineup still stings, even if they probably wouldn’t have blossomed to the players they are today in Cleveland. 

As mentioned above, Caminero would likely have never usurped Ramírez for Cleveland’s third base job. Plus, it’s hard to imagine the Guardians would have helped turn him into the hitter he is today. 

If anything, Clement is the one who got away given he’s turned into the exact kind of player the Guardians love.

He's able to move around the diamond with ease, and has great contact skills that help him shoot the ball into the gaps. 

Although those losses haven’t impacted the Guardians’ ability to rack up winning seasons in recent years, seeing them both play in the Midsummer Classic will be a sharp reminder of what could have been. 

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