The Cleveland Guardians’ push toward the trade deadline just got a little more complicated.
With the AL Central tightening into a three-team race, Cleveland suddenly has more pressure to act. The Minnesota Twins have climbed to within two games of the Guardians and the Chicago White Sox, who enter play Friday tied for first place. That kind of squeeze can change a front office’s thinking fast, especially for a club that has wanted an impact bat since before the season even started.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan pointed to two outfielders as the Guardians’ top deadline targets: Mickey Moniak of the Colorado Rockies and Garrett Mitchell of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Having so many bat-to-ball maestros gives the Guardians the leeway to stomach a hitter for whom plate discipline is not a calling card. And that would be Moniak, the former No. 1 pick who is one of two players in MLB this year with at least 200 plate appearances and a slugging percentage of .600 or better.
Similarly, the Brewers aren’t shopping Mitchell. With Luis Lara’s promotion, though, they’ve now got a center fielder under long-term contract, and with Milwaukee’s depth in the outfield, Cleveland has a good enough farm system to tempt the Brewers into moving Mitchell,” Passan wrote.
Moniak looks like the cleaner deadline fit on paper. Colorado has the worst record in the National League and is far out of the race, and Moniak can become a free agent after this season. That makes him the kind of player who should be available, even if the market around him gets crowded.
The numbers back up why he’d draw so much attention. Entering play Friday, Moniak owns a .594 slugging percentage and a .924 OPS, with 15 home runs in 197 at-bats.
He has also struck out 54 times and walked 13 times. Twelve of those homers have come at Coors Field, where he’s hit .314/.359/.720, compared with .228/.287/.405 on the road.
Mitchell is a different kind of target. Milwaukee has the second-best record in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and is chasing its first World Series trip since 1982, so the Brewers have every reason to hold onto him. Still, he would be a tempting name if they decided to listen, especially with the Guardians’ farm system giving them a chance to make a real offer.
Mitchell has an .823 OPS in 83 games played and is under team control through the 2028 campaign. That combination of production and control would make him a major get for Cleveland if he somehow became available.
For now, the Guardians look like a team that could be tied to just about every big bat on the market as Aug. 3 approaches. With the Wild Card picture also packed - six teams are within three games of each other for the final two spots - the competition for upgrades is only going to get fiercer.
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Acquired from the Rockies in 2023, Huff has expanded beyond catcher and given Cleveland a look at him at first base and third base as well. That versatility matters for a club that has been willing to move prospects quickly when the roster calls for it, and it leaves the Guardians with a decision to make on how soon they want to test him at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]