Guardians Predicted to Make Shocking In-Season Trade

The Cleveland Guardians are an organization that is certainly known for swinging big trades, but not the type their fan base typically likes.
Case in point, the Guardians traded a pair of All-Stars during the offseason, jettisoning both second baseman Andres Gimenez and first baseman Josh Naylor to save some cash.
Could Cleveland do it again with another All-Star player in 2025? Gabe Goudy of The Big Factor thinks so, noting that Emmanuel Clase is one of the few players on the team who have already earned a contract extension and could be on the chopping block as a result.
"Who else on the team got paid? Clase," Goudy said. "Trade him. ... He got money, so what happens when our players get money?"
Gabb's hot take is an Emmanuel Clase trade this season 👀
— The BIG Factor (@TheBIGFactor) March 14, 2025
"Trade him. He got money, what happens when our players get money?"
- @gabbgoudy pic.twitter.com/PtB1FIH8a8
Now, to be fair, Clase is on an incredibly team-friendly deal. He is making just $4.9 million this season and is slated to earn $6 million in 2026. He then has $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028.
Would the Guardians really trade such dominant relief pitcher when he is really only making pennies in compared to some of the other top closers in baseball?
Well, maybe. It is Cleveland, after all, and Clase's trade value is immensely high at the moment. He posted a minuscule 0.61 ERA and led the majors with 47 saves last season, representing the third straight year he paced the bigs in saves.
Clase isn't your prototypical closer in that he doesn't register a ton of strikeouts, but he has tremendous control and logged a 0.659 WHIP in 2024. So, yeah; he's tough to hit.
The Guardians probably won't be moving Clase, but if they fall out of contention by the trade deadline, anything is a possibility.
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