Cleveland Guardians Could Pursue Trade For Intriguing NL Slugger

The Cleveland Guardians definitely need a couple of bats, which is why this particular National League slugger could represent a great trade deadline option for them.

May 14, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) returns to the dugout after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are absolutely in need of some more bats between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline. That has become abundantly clear.

While Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor and Steven Kwan have all enjoyed impressive seasons, the Guardians' offense has been decidedly average throughout much of 2024, and recently, it has been pretty subpar.

Cleveland is not known for making big midseason splashes, but this year should be a bit different considering that the Guardians appear to be in World Series contention in spite of their deficiencies.

There should be some interesting bats available before the end of the month, and Zack Meisel of The Athletic has named San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade as a potential target for Cleveland.

Wade does not satisfy the Guardians' need for power, as he has hit only three home runs this year. However, the rest of his batting line is spectacular.

The 30-year-old is hitting .304 with a ridiculous .428 OBP, which would represent a major boon to a Cleveland lineup that needs baserunners (the Guardians own a team OBP of .314).

It's not like Wade's penchant for drawing walks in 2024 is a fluke, either. While his 17.5 percent walk rate is a career high, he boasts a lifetime OBP of .355. Obviously, the number has been inflated this year due to his batting average, which is, by far, the best mark of his MLB tenure (Wade is a lifetime .255 hitter). But Wade has certainly displayed a good eye in the past.

What's more, Wade is making just $3.5 million this season and is under team control through the end of next year, so Cleveland wouldn't have much of a financial obligation to him.

The question is whether or not the Giants will decide to sell. While they are just 48-54, they are still in the NL Wild Card picture, although they have definitely been fading.

We'll see what happens over the next week, but Wade would undoubtedly represent a fine candidate for the Guardians if they can manage to acquire him.