How Will Scott Barlow Fit In With Guardians?

The Cleveland Guardians need a setup man, and Scott Barlow could be their answer.

The Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres have done it again!

The two long-time trade partners pulled off a somewhat surprising move on Friday evening, as Cleveland sent RHP Enyel De Los Santos to the West Coast in exchange for RHP Scott Barlow.

De Los Santos had spent the last two seasons with Cleveland, and was one of its most reliable pitchers. 

Now that Barlow is in the fold, how will he fit into this Guardians bullpen?

It probably makes the most sense for Barlow to be a setup man in the seventh or eighth innings, and have Emmanuel Clase follow him. This was the position that James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan found themselves in, but their inconsistency was becoming an issue.

Aug 7, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Scott Barlow (58) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports / © Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The former Padre has a lot of promising stats, but the most encouraging is his swing-and-miss generation.

Barlow ranked in the 75th percentile in Chase% and 82nd percentile in Whiff%, per Baseball Savant. He also struck out 79 batters last season, which easily would've been the most among Guardians relievers. 

The 30-year-old also doesn't give up many hard-hit balls or home runs. Barlow only gave up four home runs all season. He also permitted an opponent exit velocity of 85.5 miles per hour, which was in the top four percent in baseball.

There is nothing worse than giving up a late-game, momentum-shifting home run, and that's not something Barlow does often. 

Cleveland had a solid bullpen last season, but it still had its flaws. 

Acquiring Barlow and using him as their bridge to Clase makes a ton of sense, and could make this group of relievers one of the best in baseball.