Leave Cleveland, Become a Superstar?

Let's not sugarcoat what is happening right now on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. It's bad. 

At the beginning of the season, the major worry seemed to be the pitching staff. As the season has progressed to what seems like its ripest point, however, the rotation is the Guardians one and only strength.

28th in team batting average. 25th in team on-base percentage. 26th in team slugging. 26th in team OPS. These are the Guardians team hitting metrics. Concerning? Of course. Jaw dropping? Maybe. Acceptable? No chance. 

I constantly see members of Guardians "X" talking about the success of former players that could be helping the team now, so I decided to take it upon myself and do a deeper dive on some of these players. Brace yourself. 

Junior Caminero: 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Stats: .259 AVG, 21 HR, 53 RBI, .821 OPS.

Caminero was traded away when he was 17 years old from the Guardians to the Rays for Tobias Myers. Who? Exactly. 

A big, young, powerful right-handed bat is just what the Guardians need right now in their lineup to protect Jose Ramirez. We will have to wait a little bit longer to get one of those. 

Tyler Freeman: OF, Colorado Rockies

Stats: .316 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, .834 OPS.

Nolan Jones is heating up and looks great as of late, I'm aware. 

That said - we traded for Jones to acquire more power, right? Even during this spurt from Jones, it's all singles with a double or two sprinkled in here and there. Freeman is having a fantastic year in Colorado, with his numbers much higher than Jones. Another right-handed bat the Guardians gave away for a Chase DeLauter placeholder.

Ernie Clement: 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Stats: .306 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .762 OPS.

Ernie Clement. Fan favorite, no?

Not only has Clement found a solid home in Toronto, but he helps them immensely in the field. Listed as a third baseman, Clement is the ultra-utility guy that can play just about anywhere. If you hit, you stay in the lineup. Seems to be the motto in every city but Cleveland.

Ramon Laureano: OF, Baltimore Orioles

Stats: .287 AVG, 10 HR, 27 RBI, .896 OPS

Even I can admit I didn't see this one coming.

Laureano has seemingly found his footing in Baltimore after bouncing around the league for a bit. After a brutal start to the season for the Orioles, the team is starting to put it together and get hot. With how much skipper Stephen Vogt loves to platoon guys - Laureano would be the perfect right-handed platoon bat this team is currently missing.

Josh Naylor: 1B/DH, Arizona Diamondbacks

Stats: .304 AVG, 10 HR, 53 RBI, .834 OPS.

Make the ALCS, save your dollars.

While fan favorite Carlos Santana had a good start to the season, his June stats were dreadful. No matter how you slice it, moving off Naylor meant significant a significant reduction in production, and the stats tell the entire story. When it comes to Naylor - everyone mentions how he performs in October. All valid points, for sure. But - the Guardians are currently on place to miss the playoffs entirely. So, is it worth it? 

Amed Rosario: INF, Washington Nationals

Stats: .270 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .734 OPS

I don't necessarily miss Amed Rosario, and you probably don't either. That said, it's impossible to ignore how many players leave Cleveland and find footing elsewhere with the bat. It's astonishing, honestly.

The Locked on Guardians podcast crew has mentioned Rosario as a potential trade candidate for the Guardians at the deadline this year. Would you bring him back into the mix?

Matthew Boyd: SP, Chicago Cubs

Stats: 7-3, 2.65 ERA, 82 K, 1.10 WHIP

As I mentioned earlier - the Guardians rotation has been fine as of late. 

Boyd has been on a tear in Chicago this season. He's healthy again, he's got a contract under his belt, and he's shoving for the Cubs like he did in his brief stint in Cleveland. Sources mentioned Boyd wanted to return, so why didn't he? The Guardians still haven't finished replacing their old seats with the new blue ones two years later, so there are more important things than Matthew Boyd, I guess. 

All in all, it's impossible not to go down rabbit holes when you're sitting at 40-42 after being a few wins away from the World Series. The time for the Guardians to salvage this season is truly now or never.