With the trade deadline creeping closer, the Cleveland Guardians are drawing plenty of attention for what they might add. A middle-of-the-order bat is the obvious need, and that has driven most of the conversation around the club.
But there’s another side to the deadline picture, and it includes one of Cleveland’s own. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, infielder Gabriel Arias has surfaced as a possible target for the Miami Marlins.
Rosenthal noted that Miami’s third base production has been a problem, writing: “The Marlins rank 11th in the majors in runs per game, but last in OPS at third base. Isaac Paredes, earning $9.35 million with an additional year of club control remaining, would be another third-base possibility if the Houston Astros sold, which seems unlikely. Many lower-priced third-base options, including the Baltimore Orioles’ Blaze Alexander, Texas Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran, Cleveland Guardians’ Gabriel Arias and Los Angeles Angels’ Oswald Peraza, could also be available,” Rosenthal wrote.
That fits a Marlins team that has hung around the National League playoff race and could be acting as a buyer ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. At third base, they’ve rotated through Javier Sanoja, Graham Pauley, Leo Jimenez, and Connor Norby, with Sanoja posting the best slugging percentage of the group at .404.
Arias’ path in Cleveland has been a little bumpy. He began the season as the Guardians’ starting shortstop, but a hamstring injury in early April knocked him out of the mix. Brayan Rocchio shifted over from second base to cover shortstop, and rookie Travis Bazzana was eventually brought up to form the new double-play pairing.
Rocchio and Bazzana both settled in well, and that left Arias on the outside even after he returned to health. He didn’t get back to the majors until mid-June, when Cleveland recalled him to help at third base after Jose Ramirez landed on the injured list.
Now the Guardians could be facing a roster crunch again. Ramirez may be back before the end of July, and Rocchio and Bazzana have both been producing at an All-Star level, which could leave little room for Arias when everyone is available. Cleveland still controls him through the 2029 season, so there’s no urgency to move him, but that same control also gives him value on the trade market.
His timing is helping, too. Arias has raised his profile with a strong July, hitting .310 with an .872 OPS in 10 games this month.
And he may have made a little extra noise in the right place. Arias went 4-for-8 in Cleveland’s recent series against Miami, which could have given the Marlins a fresh look at a player who now sits squarely on their radar.
In Other News...
Guardians Rookie Suddenly Running Out Of Time To Lock Down Role
Khalil Watsons first taste of the majors came with the usual rookie growing pains, but the Guardians had reason to be encouraged when he put together a strong nine-game run in late June. For a stretch, the young outfielder looked like he might be settling in and giving Cleveland a real answer in the outfield mix, which matters for a club trying to sort out its everyday options on the fly.
Since the calendar flipped to July, though, the momentum has faded, and the margin for error is getting thinner by the day. Watsons bat has gone quiet enough that his place in the lineup is no longer secure, and if he cannot turn the production back around soon, the Guardians may have to decide whether to keep giving him chances in Cleveland or send him back to the minors for more seasoning. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Cannot Afford This Deadline Gamble With Jos Ramrez Still Unsettled
With the trade deadline still on the horizon, the Guardians are once again in the familiar spot of weighing a short-term push against the longer view. Cleveland has built itself a sturdy prospect pipeline and a core that should keep the club competitive beyond this season, which is exactly why any major swing has to be measured against what it could cost later. The idea of chasing a headline starter is tempting for a team that wants to stay in the mix, but the front office has to keep one eye on the future while Jos Ramrez works his way back into form.
Ramrezs recovery adds another layer to the calculus, because the Guardians do not yet know exactly what they will get when he returns. That uncertainty makes it harder to justify emptying out the farm system for a win-now gamble, especially if the payoff is only a modest upgrade in October odds. Cleveland has enough young talent to keep building around, and the challenge now is resisting the urge to treat one deadline as if it can settle everything. [Read more 🡒]