The Cleveland Guardians farm system has produced no shortage of names worth watching this season, and according to a new report, one of those names could be on the move before Monday’s deadline.
Catcher Cooper Ingle has emerged as one of the more intriguing trade chips in Cleveland’s system heading into the deadline. Originally selected by the Guardians in the fourth round of the 2023 draft out of Clemson University, Ingle has developed into a versatile offensive weapon capable of playing catcher as well as both outfield corners, a skill set that adds real value in trade discussions.
MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra detailed just how productive Ingle has been at the highest level of the minors this season.
“A 2023 fifth-round pick from Clemson, Ingle is an athletic catcher who also can play the outfield corners and leads the Triple-A International League with a .987 OPS. He’s slashing .307/.424/.563 with a career-high 14 homers in 64 Triple-A contests and went 2-for-21 with 12 strikeouts in his first taste of the big leagues in late June and early July,” Callis, Mayo, and Dykstra wrote.
That number places Ingle among the very best offensive performers at the level, and the underlying numbers back it up. He is currently batting .307 with a .424 on base percentage and a .563 slugging mark across 64 games with Columbus, numbers that include a career-high 14 home runs. Ingle did get a brief look at the major league level in late June and early July, though the results were rough in a small sample, as he went 2-21 with 12 strikeouts in his first taste of the big leagues.
Even with that difficult introduction to the majors, the strength of his production at Triple-A has made him a name worth watching as the deadline approaches.
Whether Cleveland ultimately includes Ingle in any trade remains to be seen, and moving a player performing at this level would not come without risk given how thin catching depth already is across the sport. Still, his inclusion on this list signals that the front office may view him as valuable enough to be part of the broader trade calculus as the deadline draws closer.
With just days remaining before players become unavailable, all eyes will be on whether Ingle’s name surfaces in an actual deal or whether Cleveland chooses to keep him in the organization for the long term.
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