Cleveland Guardians Trade for Intriguing Catcher in Bold Proposal
The Cleveland Guardians are expected to be one of the more active teams ahead of the MLB trade deadline next month. As the deadline continues to draw closer, more and more names have been suggested as potential targets for the Guardians.
Among the biggest needs that have been listed for Cleveland are a starting pitcher and an outfield bat. A shorstop would also be something of value.
Bleacher Report has suggested that the Guardians could look to upgrade another position. The position that they suggest a trade to improve is catcher.
Bo Naylor has been inconsistent so far this season. He has been better of late, but Cleveland could still look to make a sizable upgrade before the deadline to bolster their World Series hopes.
B/R suggested an intriuging trade for the Guardians. They have put together a trade proposal that would send Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz to Cleveland.
In exchange for acquiring Diaz, the Guardians would ship No. 10 prospect C.J. Kayfus back to the Rockies.
"Young catcher Bo Naylor is hitting .202/.270/.330 for a 73 OPS+ on the year, and while he has picked up his production of late, the Guardians could still be searching for a potential upgrade this summer."
For Colorado, the addition of Kayfus would bring big potential for the future. Here is the breakdown of what the Rockies would be getting in return for Diaz.
"C.J. Kayfus was a third-round pick in last year's draft, and while he is limited defensively, he is hitting .346/.449/.607 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 57 games between High-A and Double-A."
So far this season with Colorado, Diaz has put together a solid all-around year. He has hit .303/..352/.439 to go along with five home runs and 28 RBI. He's not a superstar, but he's a quality catcher who could provide more offense for Cleveland.
Winning a World Series is not an easy task to accomplish. Any upgrade that the Guardians can make should be considered.
The team did go out and bring in a new starting pitcher. Matthew Boyd was signed out of free agency. They could still use another bat in addition to Diaz and could also use another starting pitcher even after the signing of Boyd, but acquiring the catcher would be a good step in the right direction.
Expect to see Cleveland be very aggressive leading up to the deadline. Diaz may not end up being a target, but he would make sense as an upgrade behind the plate. There are many different avenus the Guardians could take as they look to improve their roster.
EVAN MASSEY