The Cleveland Guardians have had one of the quietest offseasons of any team in MLB, as they have yet to hand out a contract in free agency larger than $1.5 million. It’s not the most fun approach for a team that just won consecutive division titles, but the team is obviously counting on a few notable prospects to take the next step, while they also still have plenty of flexibility to make trades.
There is still plenty of time remaining before Opening Day, so if the Guardians want to dive into the trade market before then, there’s certainly an opportunity to do so. One analyst recently floated a massive three-team trade that would shake things up in Cleveland, and while it’s hard to envision the team making a deal that big this late in the offseason, you just never know.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller wrote about ten trade ideas that would shake up MLB. He had the Guardians involved in one that would ship top prospect Travis Bazzana to the Boston Red Sox in a deal that would bring Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott to Cleveland.
“Got to at least throw one three-team proposal into the fray, right? Cincinnati could desperately use the outfield help, while Cleveland could desperately use another sure thing in the rotation. The question is whether the 2024 No. 1 overall pick would be enough to pique Boston’s interest. Doesn’t help matters that Bazzana’s progression has been slowed by injury, but he certainly could be a big-league asset in 2026,” Miller wrote.
Guardians get: LHP Andrew Abbott (44.1 median surplus)
Reds get: OF Jarren Duran
Red Sox get: 2B Travis Bazzana and RHP Hunter Gaddis (43.1 median surplus)
Losing Gaddis would hurt the bullpen, but giving up a former No. 1 pick in Bazzana would be tough to stomach even though Abbott is such a strong starting pitcher with years of control. There is no doubt that he’d excel in Cleveland’s rotation for years, but this team needs a star to emerge in the lineup in the worst way.
Boston would make out well in this deal, as they already have former No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony slated to take over in left field, so Duran has become somewhat expendable even though he has blossomed into such an exceptional player. All three of these teams have clear needs, and this trade would help all three of them help one another.
However, Cleveland’s need for an impact bat probably trumps its need for an All-Star starting pitcher. This trade probably isn’t happening, but if it did, it would be painful to lose Bazzana before even seeing what he can do in the majors.
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