It was known that the Cleveland Guardians could add and subtract starting pitchers prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, depending on the available offers and how the front office could re-position the roster for 2023 and beyond. The other shoe fell Monday afternoon.
The Guardians are sending starting pitcher Aaron Civale , who had been on a hot streak over the last few weeks, to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo . A few days ago, the Guardians dealt shortstop Amed Rosario to the Los Angeles Dodgers for starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard , who will take the mound in his Cleveland debut Monday in Houston.
Civale missed several weeks earlier this season but has been terrific when he's been able to be on the mound, posting a 2.34 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 77 innings. He had been especially strong in his last six starts, in which he allowed only six earned runs across 37 1/3 innings (1.45 ERA).
He was largely productive in his time with Cleveland, but he struggled to remain healthy. He's reached 100 innings in a season only once and has never pitched more than 130 innings in a single year. He'll be eligible for arbitration after the 2025 season, so the Rays are acquiring roughly 2.5 years of control.
Civale's hot streak was needed to an even greater degree than normal with Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie out until at least September, Cal Quantrill also sidelined and Zach Plesac struggling in the minor leagues, and while Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have pitched well, all three will need to have their workloads closely monitored in their rookie seasons.
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti noted Monday via Zoom that the club has confidence they can fill Civale's rotation spot with internal options, but they could also potentially add yet another starter via the trade market before Tuesday's deadline.
"We knew it would come at a steep cost, but we do feel we have some options to turn to again with our internal guys," Antonetti said. "Some of our young pitchers in Triple-A, Cal Quantrill hopefully will be returning in the next few weeks. And then after that, hopefully Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber. But in the meantime we are going to have to fill that void that this creates in the rotation."
Along with Syndergaard's addition, the Guardians may need increased usage out of a group that could include Xzavion Curry , Peyton Battenfield , Joey Cantillo and Hunter Gaddis.
Dealing a starting pitcher on such a torrid stretch while being less than a game out of first place in the division is an unconventional move. Though in doing so, the Guardians added a highly-regarded prospect at a position of need, especially with Josh Bell struggling to provide a return on investment with the free agent deal the club handed out this past winter.
Breaking it down: What the Amed Rosario-Noah Syndergaard trade means for the Guardians
Manzardo is the No. 37-overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and likely will slide in as the Guardians' No. 3 prospect in the system, behind starting pitcher Gavin Williams (No. 10) and outfielder George Valera (No. 28).
Manzardo, who turned 23 a few weeks ago, posted a .977 OPS in Double-A last season. His 2023 season with Triple-A Durham hasn't been as productive, as he's hit .238 with a .783 OPS, 11 home runs, 19 doubles and 38 RBIs in 313 plate appearances. At the time of the trade, he's a career .291 hitter with a combined .935 OPS.
Manzardo has carried with him a reputation as a slugger who controls the strike zone well, and the Rays had been working with him on trying to unlock some more power to complement his potential to hit for a high average. Dealing such a highly-regarded prospect for a starting pitcher with an injury-riddled past and only 2.5 years of control is a trade the Rays don't often make.
The Guardians have made it a point of emphasis to add above-average-hitting prospects to the upper levels of the minor leagues, as their development of position players hasn't equaled their development of pitchers, the latter of which might be the league's best. In that way, adding a bat of Manzardo's caliber for Civale was a rare instance, even if the timing of dealing Civale made the deal a bit more complicated.
More on Guardians-Rays trade: 5 things to know about Cleveland Guardians trade acquisition, 1B prospect Kyle Manzardo
"He is really well regarded, not only by us but by the industry," Antonetti said of Manzardo. "Kyle has emerged as one of the better offensive performers in the minor leagues. … We felt this was a unique opportunity to be able to acquire someone like Kyle and bring him into the organization."
Manzardo has been on the injured list with a shoulder injury, but is expected to report to Triple-A Columbus once he's healthy.
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 The Repository: Guardians trade Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay Rays for Kyle Manzardo
