The Cleveland Guardians had an excellent season, defying many of the preseason expectations that were made of the team. Manager Stephen Vogt brought a jolt to the dugout and locker room, and many young contributors stepped up in both the lineup and in the pitching staff. A new era of Guardians baseball has arrived, and the team's march to the American League Championship Series as one of three different AL Central teams to make the postseason was fun for many baseball fans to watch.
Moving forward, the front office must find ways to work within the budget in order to improve the roster. Making some trades would be the best course of action, especially since the team brass has a long history of not signing free agents to big contracts. They have made plenty of swaps in the past, and a lot of them of helped.
One area to address is the center of the diamond, as they could use help at shortstop, as well as in the outfield. One team that has a surplus of position players and a need to cut payroll is the St. Louis Cardinals. It seems as if an era of rebuild is on the way at Busch Stadium, and they could move some players that are current major league contributors in order to beef up a farm system that is short on impact prospects.
A name that could interest the Guardians would undoubtedly be Brendan Donovan, who has played almost all over the diamond for the Cardinals. He played mostly in left field this season, as well as 53 games at second base. What price would the Guardians' front office, led by president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff, pay for someone like Donovan? Let's dive in and take a look.
Brendan Donovan would be great fit in Guardians lineup
Andres Gimenez is one of the best second basemen in baseball, and he hasn't played shortstop since 2022. In a trade for Donovan, he'd likely move to that spot and supplant Brayan Rocchio. The former top prospect struggled quite a bit last season in his first campaign as the full-time starting shortstop. Maybe some more time in the minors could help him get back on track, and bringing in Donovan would help the current roster.
A trade for the current Cardinal would likely cost the Guardians multiple prospects, including a top ten player or two, and probably someone that can contribute to the current St. Louis roster. Even though the Cards currently have a surplus of position players in the majors, they somewhat lack that in the minors. An outfielder and infielder would likely be a good place to start, plus a starting pitcher, possibly two.
Outfielders Chase DeLauter and Jaison Chourio should be in the conversation, as well as first base prospects Kyle Manzardo and Ralphy Velazquez. The Guardians are somewhat lacking in impact arms in their system at the moment, but there are still a few that could help St. Louis both now and in the future.
Former top prospect Daniel Espino could be someone who can fit both of those needs, as well as ascending prospect Parker Messick. The odds of Espino making an impact in the majors is more likely than Messick, and both carry risk. Yet the talent each of them has is evident too. Joey Cantillo could have been in the conversation last offseason, but he's likely close to untouchable now. If the Cards wanted someone like him, then it could be closer to a one for one swap.
A possible trade could look like this: Donovan to the Guardians for a package of Chourio and Manzardo, or Cantillo and Espino. A third piece like outfielder Jonathan Rodriguez or relief prospect Franco Aleman could help as well. Would it be something to help both sides? Only one way to find out. For Cleveland to take the next step, then it's possible a swap like this could come to fruition.
Follow Us
Subscribe
