Cleveland Baseball Insider

Insider Shuts Down Absurd Cleveland Guardians Trade Rumor

An MLB insider has shut down a ridiculous Cleveland Guardians trade rumor.

Matthew Schmidt

Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts to a strike out in the in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts to a strike out in the in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has established himself as one of the most dominant figures in the sport and appears to be a mainstay with the franchise. Well, at least for the near future.

Clase led the majors with 47 saves in 2024, marking the third straight season he paced all of baseball in that category. He also pitched to the tune of a microscopic 0.61 ERA. Yes, he had some hiccups in the playoffs, but that doesn't detract from his overall performance this past year.

However, recently, speculation surfaced that the Guardians could potentially trade Clase due to the fact that he has already gotten paid by Cleveland.

But don't worry, Guardians fans: it isn't happening.

An insider has shut down any chance of a Clase trade happening, noting that he is on far too team-friendly of a contract for Cleveland to even consider it.

This is why the trade conjecture surrounding Clase was ludicrous from the start. Yes, he did land a contract extension from the Guardians back in late 2022, but it was for a very small amount of money, especially given the production that the 27-year-old has given them.

And that's just the thing: Clase is still very young and has plenty of great years left ahead of him (barring injuries, of course), so it wouldn't make much sense for Cleveland to move Clase.

Sure, the Guardians traded Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor over the winter, but Gimenez was earning big bucks, and Naylor is slated to land a significant deal after 2025.

So, no: Cleveland isn't trading Clase.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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