The Guardians reworked their pitching staff a bit on Friday.
Ahead of Major League Baseball's 40-man protection and arbitration deadlines this week, the Guardians first dealt starting pitcher Cal Quantrill to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for catching prospect Kody Huff. They later swapped right-handed pitchers, trading Enyel De Los Santos to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Scott Barlow .
Quantrill ($6.6 million) and De Los Santos ($1.2 million) were projected to make a combined $8.8 million in arbitration for the 2024 season via MLBTradeRumors' projections .
Quantrill was designated for assignment this week in part to make room on the 40-man roster, as the Guardians added pitchers Daniel Espino and Cade Smith to the 40-man roster, thereby protecting them from the Rule-5 Draft.
Quantrill struggled through a shoulder injury this season and, although he finished on a high note, he ended 2023 with a 5.24 ERA.
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Barlow, who has only one year of club control, is projected for $7.1 million according to MLBTradeRumors.
The Barlow-De Los Santos trade is a rare instance of the Guardians dealing for a player with less club control than the one they're acquiring. It likely signals their confidence that Barlow can handle a high-leverage setup role ahead of closer Emmanuel Clase .
Barlow finished 2023 with a 4.37 ERA but posted a 3.07 ERA over his final 29⅓ innings after being dealt to San Diego from Kansas City. He holds a career 3.36 ERA and a 10.07 K/9 rate in parts of six major league seasons.
De Los Santos posted a 3.29 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 65⅔ innings while he grabbed hold of a larger role in the Guardians bullpen.
Ramon Laureano was acquired with little risk and had the chance to carve out a role with the Guardians due to the roster construction. He did enough to warrant at least one more year, as he and the Guardians agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration.
Laureano posted a .724 OPS (.243 average, three home runs, eight doubles, 14 RBIs) in 41 games with Cleveland in 2023. He also continued his career trend of being able to hammer left-handed pitchers with a .794 OPS against southpaws. And in the Guardians' lefty-heavy lineup, Laureano's bat can be a needed piece in addition to the value he adds in the outfield with his above-average arm.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians trade Enyel De Los Santos for Padres' Scott Barlow
