Guardians Should Pursue Bold Trade For This Star Outfielder
The Cleveland Guardians own the best record in the American League at 51-28, but there is no question that they could stand to improve their roster.
We all know about the starting rotation. Outside of Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively, it has been atrocious, with two of the Guardians' starting pitchers posting ERAs over 5. Then there is Triston McKenzie, who owns a 4.66 ERA but lays claim to a hideous 6.16 FIP.
But even with Cleveland's offense surging lately, the Guardians could absolutely use some upgrades throughout their lineup.
Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have all been studs this year, and David Fry has been one of the best utility men in baseball. But beyond those four, Cleveland's offensive production leaves a whole lot to be desired.
A significant area of concern is the outfield, where Kwan has gotten limited offensive assistance from Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan.
As a result, the Guardians are widely expected to pursue an outfielder between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline, and there is perhaps no more interesting candidate than Miami Marlins youngster Jazz Chisholm.
Recently, there has been chatter that the struggling Marlins could part ways with the former All-Star, and if that's the case, Cleveland should be very interested.
Chisholm hasn't fully lived up to expectations in South Beach, but we have absolutely seen signs of his immense talent since he became a full-time starter for Miami in 2021.
Through 79 games this season, the 26-year-old is slashing .260/.327/.429 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. He has also stolen 14 bases.
Is Chisholm a superstar level player? Absolutely not, but he would certainly represent a notable bump in offensive production over Freeman or Brennan in the outfield.
Again, Chisholm has shown flashes. For example, in 2022, he registered an .860 OPS en route to his lone All-Star appearance to date. Yes, he did it over 60 games (and being injury-prone is certainly part of what Chisholm brings to the table), but he has at least exhibited that he has a rather high ceiling.
Plus, new Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is clearly trying to clean house. That's why he traded Luis Arraez for a bag of balls back in early May. As such, he probably wouldn't ask for a monster return in exchange for Chisholm.
It also stands to reason that Chisholm would be more productive in a better lineup. The Guardians aren't exactly the New York Yankees or the Baltimore Orioles offensively, but they do have the nice Kwan-Ramirez-Naylor trio. If you slide Chisholm somewhere in there, suddenly, Cleveland's offense looks mighty impressive, and Chisholm would see better pitches to hit than he currently does in Miami.
Make no mistake: the Guardians need to add another bat over the next several weeks. I'm not so sure they can comfortably roll into the playoffs with their current lineup.
I'm not saying Chisholm should for sure be the guy, but he is absolutely someone Cleveland should inquire about over the next month.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT