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Guardians get aggressive, confident they got better at trade deadline
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- Guardians get aggressive, confident they got better at trade deadline
The Guardians had an active final day before the MLB's trade deadline passed, pulling off three deals to complement two trades made earlier in the season.
The Guardians first dealt for Angels outfielder Jo Adell and then, within the final half hour before the deadline hit , dealt for Nationals All-star left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin and Reds first baseman Nathaniel Lowe .
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Over the weekend, they traded catcher Bo Naylor and pitcher Codi Heuer to the Brewers in exchange for reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins . And earlier this season, they acquired Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey for pitcher Matt Wilkerson and the 29th overall pick in the draft.
The Guardians also announced that utility man David Fry and first baseman Kyle Manzardo would be optioned to Triple-A Columbus. A final corresponding move with the pitching staff is expected Tuesday or Wednesday.
Here's what president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti had to say when he met with reporters via zoom after the deadline.
CA:It's obviously been a very busy few days for us, but in the end, we feel like we've really bolstered our roster. Through a series of moves, we feel like we've been able to improve our position player group, our rotation and our bullpen. And that's on the heels of taking an opportunity to make some moves even prior to this week to strengthen our team. So I'll kind of talk through them each and then will be happy to answer any questions. So, first move we were able to complete was acquiring Jo Adell , an athletic, right-handed hitting outfielder with tremendous power. His calling card [is that] he's been exceptionally productive against left-handed pitching and has had a pretty consistent production against right-handers as well.
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And we think there's an opportunity for him to be even a little bit more consistent against righties and continue the success he's had against left-handed pitching. A very good compliment to our lineup. He'll be able to play probably some combination of right field and DH.
The next move, just go in order of, at least the way I can remember executing them, was acquiring Foster Griffin for a package of prospects. And Foster, we feel we're acquiring a starting pitcher that's been one of the best starters in baseball this year. He was an All-Star, has been really consistent and really productive from the beginning of the season and feel like he will really fortify our rotation. He's got a very deep pitch mix with seven pitches that he mixes very well, keeps hitters off balance. So we think he can really help out our rotation. And lastly, we added Nate Lowe, who will get the bulk of the at-bats against right-handed pitching at first base. Nate's been a consistent professional bat throughout his career against righties. He's been very productive again this year. And we think, again, he helps lengthen and deepen our lineup.
And when you pair these three moves from today with being able to add Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins earlier this week, and then even going back to the Patty Bailey deal earlier this year, we feel like we have really fortified our team and are in a position to play competitive baseball for the balance of the season and give ourselves a chance to win another American League Central [title].
Chris, you guys have had as durable of a rotation as anybody this year, and the production has been pretty good. Why'd you guys feel you needed to go out and get another starter?
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CA:I think we were determined to explore every opportunity to improve the team. And we're aggressive in the starting pitcher market, and we feel we were able to bring a starter in and foster that's going to help make us better. And so that was the primary motivation behind it.
Would you consider using a six-man rotation?
CA:We're still working through that. Obviously a lot to process. Most of these transactions came together today, and a couple of them very late in the day. So we've had preliminary conversations with Carl and Vogter but we'll take some time over the next day or two to work through that.
How do you envision first base working out?
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CA:So a couple of other moves that we did make today, we informed David Fry and Kyle Manzardo that we will option them to Columbus to create spots for the position players. And then once Foster Griffin reports, we'll have to make a corresponding move there. We also designated Juan Brito for assignment and then actually ended up completing a small trade for him in a cash deal (to the Reds).
I guess just you talked about Manzo over the weekend, just kind of the inconsistencies of his season. Just what was that conversation like with him and what do you hope he does with this option?
CA:Yeah, it was a really hard decision. We continue to believe that Manzo's going to be a really productive Major League hitter. And as we touched on the other day, he's demonstrated the ability to impact games and help carry the team. But this year it just hasn't been as consistent as it's been in the past. And we felt this was an opportunity to compliment our group and try to improve the roster a bit, at least for the time being. But we still believe Manzo's not only a big part of our future, but still will impact us at some point this year.
Chris did you feel a sense of urgency within the division that you made three trades today?
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CA:Yeah, I think it's more just coincidental that the timing all happened today, but we did set out to try to improve the team. We are in a competitive position in a very competitive division in a competitive American league. And if there were opportunities to improve the team at costs that we thought were reasonable, we wanted to try to do that. Look, everything at this time of year is expensive. We gave up a lot of talent to make these trades and improve our team, but we felt it was worthwhile given the competitive position we're in.
How much in payroll did you pick up would you say for the rest of the year?
CA:Not sure of the exact number, but it'll be a few million dollars. I think up to or around maybe four, plus or minus. And again, I think I shared with people last prior to the deadline. Again, this year, finances were not an issue when there's an opportunity for us to improve the team. We've been pretty consistent about that in years in which we've been competitive. And when we're at the deadline, we have the resources needed to go out and try to improve. And that was again the case this year.
When will Adell report?
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CA:Again, we're working through a lot, as you can imagine, a lot of things we're trying to sort out, but we're hopeful that he'll be here tomorrow.
Chris, going back to David Fry, he was asked to do a lot of different things this year, whether it was in the lineup, positions, just what have you seen from him this year and just what do you hope to get out of him now that he's going to Columbus?
CA:Yeah, that was a really, really tough conversation with David because he's been not only a key contributor on the field for us, but part of the fabric of our clubhouse. But we're seeing this as an opportunity for David to get the consistent at-bats in Columbus that he just hasn't been able to get up here, because we've all seen when David's getting consistent at-bats, he's been a really productive player. And we want to work with him to get back to that point because we still feel like he'll be able to impact our team at some point in the balance of the season.
With Foster Griffin, what does this mean for a guy like Slade Cecconi?
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CA:We're still working through exactly how we're going to sort through our rotation and pitching staff. And I think Vogter and Carl and Eric will be on a conference call here in a little bit to try to talk through some of those things, but we'll probably have more information on that in the coming days.
Chris, when you guys acquired Patrick Bailey , how much flexibility or confidence did that give you to move someone like Jacob Cozart in the deal for Jo Adell?
CA:Catching was definitely an organizational strength for us. We really like Jacob Cozart. He's an exceptional defender behind the plate. We think he's got a chance to continue to develop offensively, but in order to get players to impact your major league team, you have to give up talent. And that certainly was a painful trade for us because we do think Jacob's going to go on and be a good Major League catcher. But fortunately for us, it was a position that we had some depth and feel we're still well positioned both now and in the future there.
With Adell, looking at all the walks versus strikeouts, that kind of thing, what could happen maybe to make him more disciplined or something like that at the plate?
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CA:Yeah, I think his calling card has been power. That is probably where his production comes from more than on-base and batting average. So we'll continue to work with him. We do think there's the opportunity for him to be a little bit more consistent, especially against righties, but he's done a lot of damage against left-handed pitching, and we're hoping he adds an element of power to our lineup.
Chris, what do you make of Griffin's road? Did you guys have this guy on your radar when he was coming back stateside this year, or what is the scouting like there?
CA:Yeah, very, very atypical path. Former first-round pick, made his way through the minor leagues, went over to Japan, pitched pretty effectively there, and then came back stateside this year and obviously pitched exceptionally well. There's a lot of guys that have gone overseas, whether it's Japan or Korea, and either learned about themselves or changed their pitch mix and have come back and been more effective pitchers. And I think that's been the case with Foster.
Chris, we've talked to you on days like this before when you maybe made one trade or just couldn't come up with others. And in these conversations you've said we tried, we tried a lot of things and it just didn't work out. How good does it feel to land a day like this and to really just give everybody a shot in the arm over there?
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CA:Yeah, I mean, part of my job, as you know, is I always have to be mindful of, we want to win games this year and we want to get to the World Series, but it's balanced against making sure we make smart decisions that keep us a competitive team for a long time. And so we're energized and excited about the group of players we've added to the organization and the guys that we think will help us win more games this season, but we fully appreciate it comes at a cost. And that might be we traded good prospects. I do feel fortunate that we have a very healthy and robust farm system, and we were able to make trades like this, not only have players to be able to trade, but still feel we are in a great position post-trades to have a very healthy farm system that not only will impact us this year, but for years to come.
Chris, you guys landed two rentals and then a guy with one-plus year control (Adell). Just how much, if at all, did uncertainty about what next year might look like influence just trade talks in general?
CA:I'm not sure how much it impacted [things]. I think our focus was obviously, you identified a lot of the players or a number of the players we acquired are free agents at the end of the year. So the emphasis was on trying to build the most competitive team we can for 2026 because there is uncertainty in 2027, and I'm not sure exactly what that will look like, but that wasn't a big factor in our determination.
So at first base it'd be Hoskins and Lowe. Is that how you see it, Chris?
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CA:Again, I'll leave Vogter to make up the lineup, but in the conversations that we've had over the last few days, I would expect that that's how that will shake out, that Nate will get the bulk of the reps there against right-handed pitching and Rhys will get the bulk of the reps against lefties. But again, how exactly that plays out and on which dates, those are decisions Vogter will make.
Chris, I know you guys don't look at how other teams are wheeling and dealing on a day like this, but how motivated were you guys to make moves just given the compact nature of the Central race?
CA:Yeah, I think when we had a chance to get together a week or so ago, I shared our goal was to try to find ways to improve the team. And it is impossible to predict what opportunities will be there and you can have the best intentions, but still not be able to execute. But we were fortunate that a number of things came together and the end result is we feel we're a better baseball team today than we were 10 days ago. And we feel we've been able to make additions that have strengthened really every aspect of the team. We've been able to add some balance to the lineup. We've added two hitters that both lengthen and give us a little bit more productivity. We've improved the rotation, and we've also feel we've added someone in the bullpen to strengthen that group, too. So again, how it plays out, we'll have to see, but we do feel we are a better baseball team than we were 10 days ago.
Chris, one of the storylines last year at this time was more about a guy that you kept and Steven Kwan at the deadline. Were there any other teams that inquired about players on the Major League roster or anywhere in the farm system that kind of surprised you?
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CA:Surprised me, I'm not sure. But yes, there were lots of conversations around a lot of other players, and that's just natural for this time of year. I think there are literally hundreds, and actually it might even be thousands of exchanges between us and other teams about players and different concepts. So in the course of those discussions, inevitably, lots of players are discussed. And I'm not identifying anyone in particular, but the good news for us is I think the industry continues to tell us that we have lots of attractive players to other teams.
With Griffin, was that something that you've been discussing in the past or was that something that just came up in the last week or so?
CA:Well, we've been in the starting pitching market. Again, we're not going to be limited in the avenues we were pursuing to try to improve the team. And starting pitching was an area that we feel was a strength of our team. But again, if there were opportunities to improve, we were going to explore it. So we've been in dialogue with the Nationals for quite a while. If you were to ask me at 10 o'clock last night, I would've said, I'm not sure I'm optimistic we would've gotten something done, but that's the nature of trades and things came together relatively late in the day and we're happy they did.
Chris, what's a day like this like when you've got, I mean, the Reds trade and the Washington trade, they're almost back to back. I mean, are you practically like [holding] a phone on each ear and you hang up and you got another guy on another line? Just what does it look like?
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CA:It is chaotic. And it's not just me. I mean, we're so fortunate to have a great team throughout baseball operations. Mike Chernoff, Matt Forman, as you guys know, helped lead our baseball group and they're very active and on the phone with teams. And then it's really a collective effort. We have, I'm not sure what it is, I'm guessing over a hundred people contributed to the trades today, just today, let alone the process of scouting and developing and bringing players into the organization. But just the trade process itself literally had a hundred or more people in baseball ops that are contributing on a day like today. And I'm just incredibly grateful to work alongside such incredible teammates to help us navigate things like this.
Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians get aggressive, confident they got better at trade deadline
