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Guardians offseason review chat
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Guest
8:13
Do you see a Kwan, Brennan, Gonzalez outfield starting at by the end of the year, with Straw as the late game defensive replacement, or will another outfielder emerge?
Mark P
8:14
Valera seems like the top candidate of the "emerge" group, assuming he gets healthy
8:15
This is also a bit of a difficult question to gauge since at this time past year, Brennan was further down the depth chart, Gonzalez wasn't really on the radar at all, and even Kwan was a question mark as a projected rookie starter.
8:16
That is to say, there might be an outfielder we're not even thinking of who might make his way into the conversation by season's end.
chatGPT
8:17
Do you figure that Cleveland will make a trade eventually from their glut of prospects?
Mark P
8:18
They technically have, in that they moved on from Nolan Jones, Owen Miller, and Will Benson.  

But if you're asking whether or not the Guardians will, say, package 2-3 good prospects together for one reliable everyday MLB player.....that's not really Cleveland's style.  The club is so reliant on farm system depth that it's a particularly big risk to move multiple blue chippers in a single trade
John
8:20
Which breakthrough player from last year do you see possibly taking a step back this year. To me it's Oscar Gonzales.
Mark P
8:21
Not to pile onto Gimenez, but I doubt he'll repeat as the 14th highest fWAR of any player in baseball
8:22
This isn't to say that Gimenez won't have a good season, since I expect him to be very good yet again. But he was borderline elite last year by the bottom-line numbers, and his secondary numbers didn't really back that up.
Royals fan
8:22
So why no Royals off season chat?
Mark P
8:22
That one is coming tomorrow night!
Panaeolus Cyanescens
8:23
Will the contact over power trend continue in the MLB? Does Cleveland have psychics in the front office? How did they see this trend coming?
Mark P
8:25
Speed, defense, and contact hitting are easier to find (and, so to speak, less expensive) than power.  For a cost-conscious team like the Guardians, this was their strategy to build a competitive offense around Ramirez and their strong rotation.

The results were obviously tremendous in 2022, but now the Guards will have to keep taking steps forward
Vermont
8:26
I have enough faith in the Guards front office that I'm not worried about the Nolan Jones trade. And I also have no faith in the Rockies front office, so....
Mark P
8:27
To repeat myself from the offseason review, the fact that Cleveland got so relatively little for Jones is perhaps indicative of how other teams were relatively down on his MLB future.  And, not to discount Brito as "relatively little," but one would've thought that if the Guardians had moved Jones, it would've been for some kind of established big leaguer.
8:28
It's another reminder that fans can perhaps get a little too worked up over players as "top 100 prospects," since there's a ton of variance in those lists.
Michael
8:29
Cleveland has probably 5 guys with closer stuff in the bullpen (clase,  karincheck, hentges, Stephan, and sandlin is coming along) but with eapino’s injuries I feel he should consider a move.
Mark P
8:30
The injuries aren't great, and it is possible Espino's ultimate future might be in the bullpen if he can't get healthy enough to stick as a starter.  But, obviously the Guardians will give Espino plenty of looks as a starter before making that call.
Walter
8:30
Which pitcher will make there major league debut this year? Logan Allen...Gavin Williams...or Tanner Bibee.
Mark P
8:32
All of the above?  Allen is closest since he's had a bit of Triple-A time while the others have yet to leave Double-A.  But nobody should be shocked if Bibee and Williams both made late-season cameos, just to get their feet wet at the MLB level
MAC
8:32
If the Guards fade away who will they want to dump before the trade deadline?
Mark P
8:34
Rosario and Zunino are the obvious picks, since they're free agents after the season.  Maybe Bell too given his opt-out clause, though that same clause will also complicate a trade return.

If Cleveland really was out of the race by the deadline, I suspect they'd start shopping Bieber, to get an early jump on the trade talks that would inevitably happen next winter.
Zue
8:35
is Aaron judge going to be as good as last year?
Mark P
8:36
....wait, did Aaron Judge sign with the Guardians?  Aw man, I knew I published that offseason review too early.
Andy L
8:37
Who do you think is the starting CF by the All Star break?
Mark P
8:38
I still lean towards Straw, unless Brennan forces his way into at least a platoon role.

Remember, for all the talk about Guardians extending players, Straw is a guy they already locked up.  They're not going to give up on him just yet, as his defense makes him valuable even despite his lack of offense.
8:39
This all to be said, "lack of offense" is one thing, but naturally the Guards want Straw to be more than arguably the league's worst batter
Justin
8:40
Did all the rookies that Cleveland brought up last season cause problems to opposing team scouting? And could that be one of the reasons why Cleveland had such a nice season? I worry that sophomore slumps are going to be a real problem now that teams have had a better look.
Mark P
8:42
It's quite possible that the Guardians' magic won't work quite as well once teams are now better adjusted to handle it.

But, that being said, the Guards' whole deal is that a fast, contact-oriented team that consistently puts the ball in play is always difficult to face, no matter how well a team prepares.  Plus, the lack of defensive shifts and the new pickoff rules should only help Cleveland's offensive game plan.
Tixe Ylno
8:43
Could Straw's contract and the dearth of true center fielders make him a good trade candidate if Brennan proves capable?
Mark P
8:44
It might be a tough trade to construct, since Straw struggled so much at the plate that teams won't exactly be lining up to take on the rest of his deal.  The Guardians obviously won't want to eat much or any of that money to facilitate a trade, and taking on another "bad contract" also doesn't seem like the team's style.
Cash
8:45
Will you guys communicate an extension with Stevan kwan?
Mark P
8:46
Tim Dierkes will have his people talk to Kwan's people, but to be frank, I don't like the chances of Kwan signing a long-term extension with MLB Trade Rumors.  For one, Kwan probably prefers to focus on his baseball career.
Guest
8:47
Will Cleveland make it to the postseason again?
Mark P
8:47
My prediction is yes.  They'll repeat as AL Central champions, since in my view, the Guardians have fewer questions than either Chicago or Minnesota.
8:48
And on that note, let's wrap things up.  Thanks so much for all your questions!  If you're interested in more of these team-centric chats, the Royals edition will be coming Sunday in either the late afternoon or evening.
8:49
fyi, if you're interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you're about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions. For more on our memberships, check out this link: 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-3-1-23
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