This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- Manager Stephen Vogt relayed what was on his wish list when he sat down with the Guardians’ front office in recent weeks to discuss MLB Trade Deadline plans. You probably have a good idea of what that looked like.
“My ask was, ‘If there's ways we can improve the offense, let's look to do it,’” Vogt said this week.
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The Guardians granted Vogt’s wish and more with an aggressive series of moves before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Deadline. Cleveland acquired outfielder Jo Adell and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and starter Foster Griffin. All that followed a trade for reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins on Saturday.
This is a very different-looking Cleveland team than what we saw one week ago. With a handful of new faces, the Guardians’ brass signaled that they want to make a run in what seems to be a wide-open American League.
From a big-picture lens, Cleveland’s moves signal more. The Guardians showed a willingness to shake things up. With each addition to bolster their roster, they made an ensuing subtraction that followed a tough conversation.
For a team that has had a lot of continuity through the years and is often patient with its own talent, this was a change of pace. The status quo was not working, nor good enough. The Guardians knew it.
“It's equal parts excitement and heartbreak,” Vogt said Wednesday of navigating the recent roster turnover. “We're really excited about the additions that we've made, and we believe it's going to make us a better team. At the same time, you say goodbye to people that you love and have really good relationships with.”
The Guardians were swept by the Mets in their first series after the Deadline to fall two games under .500 (57-59) for the first time in nearly a year. The bottom line here remains, but it’s no secret Cleveland has to play better than it has since the All-Star break (6-13).
The Guardians optioned David Fry and first baseman Kyle Manzardo to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, making room for Adell and Lowe on the active roster. Slade Cecconi got bumped from the rotation to the bullpen to accommodate Griffin.
Post-Deadline, on Wednesday, the Guardians designated Gabriel Arias for assignment to clear a roster spot for Angel Genao (Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect and No. 39 overall). Genao promptly became the first player in Cleveland franchise history to tally four hits in a big league debut.
The Guardians’ direction at the Deadline may have come as a pleasant surprise, but it shouldn’t have. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said leading up to the Deadline that the Guardians were exploring their options to improve.
Fry has been a key part of the clubhouse fabric during his time in Cleveland, but he hit just .182 with a .640 OPS over 71 games. Part of his value lies in being a versatile third catcher, but he last caught on May 26 this season. After the May 9 trade for Patrick Bailey, Fry had essentially evolved into a part-time outfielder in recent months.
Manzardo hit 27 home runs last season and had a .455 slugging percentage in 142 games. He hit 13 homers with a .378 slugging percentage in 102 games this season. Cecconi had a 4.30 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 23 starts last season. He had a 4.78 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 21 starts this season.
Arias got myriad chances in an everyday role over five seasons with the Guardians, but his tenure has been defined by tantalizing streaks of highs and lows. His future is now to be determined after his DFA. Cleveland has seven days to trade or release him, or put him on waivers.
Fry and Manzardo joining the Clippers offers them the chance to work on things in consistent playing time. They could help the Guardians later this season, and the organization hopes they can get back on track. But Adell and Lowe are here to boost an offense that has had a poor season now. Cecconi has embraced his move to the bullpen and is eager to help Cleveland win games however he can.
The Guardians signaled their openness to change course and pivot from their initial plan for this season. They did just that. How it all pans out is a story that will be written over the next two months.
“How it plays out, we'll have to see,” Antonetti said. “But we do feel we are a better baseball team than we were 10 days ago.”