Former Player Believes Guardians Made A Mistake With Recent Trade

The Cleveland Guardians surprised a lot of observers when they acquired catcher Patrick Bailey in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Not only was the timing, just one-quarter of the way into the season, a bit odd without an emergency need, but it also gave the Guardians two defensive specialists who provide very little offense at the important position.

To make room for Bailey, the Guardians demoted Bo Naylor to Triple-A. He had failed miserably this season after being counted on to provide some improvement within the lineup, though he arguably still has more offensive upside than the other catchers.

That may be why former player Jensen Lewis said the Guardians made a mistake with this recent trade that prioritizes defense over offense.

“When you get into October, you need offense, power, and the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Right now, the Guardians are at league average or below average in a lot of those important categories. This move, from a short-term standpoint, I personally don’t agree with. Maybe we’ll be proven wrong here, and Patrick Bailey will somehow figure out how to hit again,” Lewis said.

Was the Patrick Bailey trade a bad move? #GuardsBall

"This move, from a short term standpoint, I personally don't agree with."

– @JLEWFIFTY

presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/sNKNQJSEH5 pic.twitter.com/TcKeR0q7z6

— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) May 12, 2026

Cleveland sent the No. 29 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft and pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson to San Francisco. Neither removes any power or home run potential from Cleveland’s 40-man roster or prospect pool, so it is unclear why Jensen is so concerned about that, especially months from now, with a playoff berth far from secure at this point.

If Bailey doesn’t “figure out how to hit again,” as Jensen worries, the Guardians still might be able to turn to Naylor if he responds to his demotion and regains the stroke he displayed in last year’s pennant race that made him a potential breakout player this season. Instead, it is Hedges who is having an unexpected campaign on offense, with the lifetime sub-.200 hitter taking a team-leading .294 batting average and career-high .782 OPS into play on Tuesday.

There is also plenty of time for the Guardians to find other ways to upgrade their offense before October, starting with several of their better players starting to produce at their usual levels. In addition, catching prospect Cooper Ingle is having a very good minor league season, and he could be added to the mix if necessary.

Claiming that the addition of Bailey, without parting with any current player or hitting prospect, was a mistake is a significant reach until results prove otherwise.