Will the Guardians move Emmanuel Clase, and what does a potential package look like?
The Cleveland Guardians have been a mess since June. They went 9-16 in June and had a 10-game losing streak before winning their last two games against the Houston Astros.
At 42-48, Cleveland is in fourth place in the American League Central. They sit 15.5 games back from the Detroit Tigers and five-and-a-half games back from the third AL Wild Card spot.
This recent stretch of bad baseball has put Cleveland in position to sell at the trade deadline on July 31.
Former Major League Baseball executive Jim Bowden of The Athletic answered 25 trade deadline questions, with one being about a possible Emmanuel Clase trade.
“The Guardians need offense. If they trade Clase, they need to focus on young bats,” wrote Bowden. “Offer him to the Dodgers for Andy Pages. Offer him to the Phillies for Aidan Miller. Offer him to the Rangers for Sebastian Walcott. Offer him to the Tigers for Kevin McGonigle. Offer him to the Yankees for Spencer Jones. Offer him to the Red Sox for Jarren Duran. You get my point.”
The Guardians could get a massive haul for a dominant pitcher like Clase and should be listening to calls for the three-time All-Star.
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Clase, 27, is having a solid season, though it isn’t up to his standard. The two-time Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year is 4-2 with 3.12 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP in 41 appearances.
He has converted 19 of 23 save opportunities this season and led MLB in saves over the last three seasons.
The best fits for Clase seem to be the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers, both World Series hopeful teams needing a high-leverage reliever.
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