The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a habit of dipping into the Guardians’ old pool, and Johnathan Rodríguez is the latest name to land on that familiar path.
On Monday, the Pirates traded for the former Cleveland outfielder after his recent DFA from the Baltimore Orioles, adding another player that Guardians fans already know well. It’s a route Pittsburgh has taken before with names like Erik González, Yu Chang and Greg Allen, and Rodríguez now joins that list.
Rodríguez’s time with Baltimore was brief. The Orioles brought him up ahead of their doubleheader against the Red Sox last week, then moved on from him to make room for waiver claim Yohel Pozo.
In those two games, Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with a double in the second game, the one that ended Boston’s 15-game winning streak. During his first call-up in April, he went 0-for-7.
What keeps getting him chances is the production he’s shown in the minors. Rodríguez won International League MVP in 2024, but that success has never fully carried over to the majors. With the Guardians last season, he hit just .197/.260/.366 in 31 games.
There was a brief stretch late last year that made it look like he might be turning a corner. He closed the regular season with two strong games against the Rangers, enough to earn a spot on Cleveland’s postseason roster.
But the payoff never came. Rodríguez went 0-for-3 in the postseason and also struggled defensively, which played into the Guardians’ Game 1 loss to the Tigers in the Wild Card Series.
The biggest issue has been his trouble handling spin, a flaw that has helped drive his 31.8% career strikeout rate. With Baltimore, both of his hits came against fastballs.
Even with those concerns, Pittsburgh still saw enough to make the move. The Pirates added Rodríguez to their 40-man roster and sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The fit makes sense on paper, too. Pittsburgh has been scrambling to patch together its outfield since Oneil Cruz went on the injured list.
Jake Mangum, Bryan Reynolds and rookie sensation Esmerlyn Valdéz have been handling the grass lately, but Valdéz left Monday’s game with a wrist injury. If he misses time, Rodríguez suddenly looks like a natural option to get the call.
For a player who never really clicked in Cleveland, it’s still enough to keep the door open in Pittsburgh. And for the Pirates, that’s apparently reason enough to try again.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Hold More Deadline Leverage Than Anyone Expected
The catching market around the deadline may have shifted in Clevelands favor, and not because of anything the Guardians did on the field. With one of the more obvious names at the position suddenly unavailable, clubs looking for help behind the plate may have to turn to the next tier of options, which puts a spotlight on Clevelands own pair of catchers. That is the kind of twist front offices notice quickly, especially when a team has multiple players who could fit different kinds of trade talks.
Bo Naylor and Cooper Ingle now sit in a more interesting spot than they did a few days ago. Naylor, who was sent to Triple-A in May, has put together a solid run there and still comes with years of control, while Ingle brings prospect appeal even as his long-term defensive home remains unsettled. For Cleveland, the question is no longer just whether either catcher has value, but whether a market thinned by one injury could push that value higher before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Worry About The Future
The Guardians are heading into the trade deadline with more than one roster question hanging over them, and the front office appears set to wait until the final stretch before making its biggest moves. Cleveland is reportedly looking to add a hitter, a familiar kind of deadline need for a club trying to keep its offense from stalling down the stretch, while the organization also has to keep one eye on the draft after a second-round pick announced he would not sign.
There was at least one brighter note around the franchise on the Hall of Fame side of things, where Paul Hoynes was honored with the Baseball Writers Career Excellence Award. Even so, the larger conversation around Cleveland is still about what comes next, and whether the team can turn a tense few days into help for a lineup that clearly needs it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Deadline Plans Just Took A Brutal Turn At The Plate
Spencer Steers injury in Cincinnati has already rippled beyond the Reds, because it changes the market for a right-handed bat the Guardians had been watching. With Steer headed to the injured list and expected to miss significant time, Clevelands deadline planning suddenly has to account for a thinner pool of available hitters, which is never where a contender wants to be this late in July.
So the Guardians are left sorting through the fallback options, and the names that keep coming up each carry a different kind of risk. Casey Schmitt offers versatility, Isaac Paredes brings a more defined offensive profile, and Jo Adell has the kind of power that can tempt a front office even when the rest of the package is less tidy. For Cleveland, the challenge now is finding a bat that fits both the lineup and the ballpark, and the Steer injury makes that search a lot messier than it was a day ago. [Read more 🡒]