Angel Martinez's Emergence Could Alter Guardians' Trade Deadline Plans

The Cleveland Guardians have more options at the trade deadline because of Angel Martinez's early major league success.

Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez (1) singles in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians have been waiting for one of their young middle infielders to break out since the second half of 2023. Brayan Rocchio has shown promise on defense, Gabriel Arias had opportunities but was just optioned to Triple-A, and Tyler Freeman has successfully made the transition to the outfield.

With no one running away with the shortstop job, Cleveland has reportedly been seeking an upgrade at the position ahead of the trade deadline.

However, the emergence of Angel Martinez could alter the Guardians' deadline plans in several ways. 

Martinez came into the season as their ninth-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline) and rose through Cleveland’s farm system as a middle infielder, which is ironic considering he hasn’t played shortstop at all in the big leagues yet. Most of his games (five) have come at center field, with two games at third base and one game at second base. 

Martinez has looked comfortable on defense everywhere Stephen Vogt has put him, and the bat has truly been a game-changer for the Guardians.

One direction Cleveland could take is moving Martinez back to shortstop and abandoning their search for a middle infielder via the trade market. This would allow the Guardians to use their trade capital for an outfielder or a proven starting pitcher if they like one on the market.

The other options is keeing Martinez in the outfield and letting him move around the diamond as a utility player.

At one point, the Guardians were reportedly looking for another bat they would give the outfield group more offensive production. While it never hurts to have a surplus of hitters, they don’t need to put all of their focus or trade chips in the basket anymore since Martinez has proven he can provide adequate defense just about everywhere and pop at the plate.

Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez (1) makes a catch in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

There’s also the valid question of how we know that Martinez's success is sustainable. It’s not uncommon for a prospect to be red hot after their debut and then cool down.

While this is always possible, Martinez has shown plate discipline well beyond his years in a small sample size.

So far, the 22-year-old is hitting .294/.429/.471 with an OPS of .900. The most encouraging sign is that Martinez walked eight times and only struck twice in his first 34 big league at-bats. He’s making a ton of contact and seeing the ball well on the plate. 

His plate presence has been reminiscent of a young Steven Kwan back in April of 2022.

The Guardians certainly still need to make some moves to help the lineup before the July 30 trade deadline, and Martinez’s arrival doesn’t solve all of their offense problems. However, he does fill one of Cleveland’s biggest holes no matter how Vogt and the front office decide to utilize him moving forward.