As I was looking for stories about the Guardians, I saw a phrasing that I thought was pretty cool. I don't think they did the turn of the phrase on purpose but I think we should start using it. They asked the question: Who are the Guardians of baseball. I think they were trying to explain that the Indians became the Guardians. But I think we should start referring to ourselves as The Guardians of Baseball.
Anyway, found this article - enjoy
What I’m hearing about the Guardians, Shane Bieber, the roster as Winter Meetings open – Terry Pluto
Story by Terry Pluto, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio – What I’m hearing about the Guardians as the winter meetings open this week:
ABOUT SHANE BIEBER
1. The Guardians were working hard on putting together a big deal involving Bieber near the 2023 midseason trading deadline. Then Bieber had elbow problems, and that ended any serious talks.
2. I heard the Aaron Civale/Kyle Manzardo deal originally began with Tampa Bay wanting Bieber rather than Civale. There were several players involved, not just Manzardo. Then Bieber was hurt, and out, and they settled on Civale for Manzardo.
3. Cleveland fans were upset because Civale had a 2.34 ERA at the time of the trade. The Guardians were concerned about Civale’s health. He had been on the injured list five times since the start of 2021. Civale had a 5.36 ERA after the trade. Manzardo batted .256 (.938 OPS) with 6 HR and 16 RBI for Class AAA Columbus. Then he hit .272 (.905 OPS) with 6 HR and 19 RBI in 102 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League.
4. While they’ll never say it, there’s a sense of relief from the Guardians about that deal. There were no reports of Civale being hurt in Tampa Bay, but he pitched like it. Manzardo is a promising young hitter and the Guardians need lots of those – regardless of position. Manzardo is a first baseman.
5. While the Guardians say they aren’t moving Bieber unless they are “overwhelmed,” it remains a possibility. While Bieber missed significant parts of the 2021 and 2023 seasons due to arm problems, starting pitchers are prized – especially those with Bieber’s pedigree.
6. Bieber is expected to earn $12.2 million in 2024. Then he’ll be a free agent. The reason I began this with a discussion of the Civale trade is that some of the same themes exist with Bieber. Can the right-hander stay healthy? If Cleveland waits too long and he’s hurt (again) during the season, that destroys any trade value.
7. Suppose the Guardians had waited until the offseason to trade Civale. They never would have received anything close to a return such as a top hitting prospect on the doorstep of the big leagues such as Manzardo. That does factor into their thinking about Bieber.
8. Bieber went on the injured list July 9 and didn’t pitch again until Sept. 22. His last start of 2023 was a good one. I went to Progressive Field to watch, and Bieber allowed one run in six innings, fanning seven vs. the Reds. In that game, he looked like the Bieber who was 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 2022. That was his last healthy season over the last three years.
9. The Guardians are debating: Is Bieber’s trade value higher now than if they wait for the season? They want to gauge that at the Winter Meetings, where several major-market teams are shopping for starters and are willing to take a chance on Bieber staying healthy.
ABOUT THE BALLY TV DEAL
1. The Guardians TV deal with Bally/Diamond for 2024 was supposed to be for $60 million. Bally is in bankruptcy. There are reports Bally wants to dump Cleveland and Texas. It’s a mess.
2. If the Guardians become TV free agents, perhaps they can put together deals with a local TV station and streaming services … or something. The days of major cable companies bidding for teams is over. Streaming services have hammered their revenues and demolished their dominant positions for sports programming.
3. MLB is willing to take over the TV rights of any team that needs a home. I hear they have a plan in place for Cleveland and other franchises. But it won’t be close to the $60 million the Guardians expected in 2024. I heard it’s in the $40 million ballpark.
4. Because of the uncertainty with the cable situation and the likely drop in revenues, the Guardians probably will come back with the same $89 million payroll as 2023 – perhaps even less. The TV situation means the Guardians won’t be involved in any big-money free-agent deals.
ABOUT THE ROSTER
1. The Guardians believe they have their catcher of the present/future in Bo Naylor, who hit ‚252 (.893 OPS) with 10 HR and 27 RBI in 174 plate appearances after the All-Star break. They’ll sort through Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio at short to open the season.
2. I sense they’d love Arias to win the shortstop job. His arm and range are excellent. Arias is a right-handed hitter who batted .083 (8 for 108) vs. lefties. He was a .275 hitter (.791 OPS) vs. righties. That makes no sense, as righties usually are more effective hitting left-handed pitchers.
3. What about moving Andrés Giménez to shortstop? That’s doubtful, at least in the short term. He’s a Gold Glove winner, the best defensive second baseman in baseball. What can change that would be a quick rise of Juan Brito, the Guardians’ Minor League Player of the Year according to Baseball America.
4. The 22-year-old Brito advanced from Class A to Class AAA last season. Overall, he batted .271 (.811 OPS) with 14 HR and 75 RBI. He has played short, but is more suited for second base. It’s possible the Brito/Giménez combination could be in the middle of the infield at some point in 2024. Brito will open at Class AAA.
5. The problem with the roster is the outfield. Leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is set in left field. He can play center, but the Guardians believe he’s elite defensively in left. They don’t want to move him. Myles Straw is coming off two dismal seasons as a hitter in center. He could be part of a trade.
6. This brings us back to Bieber. How can the Guardians find a young outfielder who can hit without making a trade? They need two outfielders. They are bringing back Ramón Laureano, but the veteran is best vs. lefties. He is a good defensive outfielder. Trading Bieber probably is their best option to help the outfield.
7. Finally, the rumors about the Guardians trading Emmanuel Clase don’t make sense. They traded for Scott Barlow to add experience in the back end of the bullpen. They are looking for more veteran relievers. A top MLB source told me, “They (the Guardians) aren’t motivated to move Clase.”
8. The Guardians organization always had doubts about Oscar Gonzalez having long-term success in the Majors. They worried about his swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and believed MLB pitchers would figure him out. Gonzalez was a local hero and a productive hitter for several months in 2022. Last season, he struggled and showed little power. The Yankees claimed him on waivers. He does need a fresh start somewhere, because they don’t believe in him here.
ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF
1. The Guardians wanted some continuity for new manager Stephen Vogt. A big move was retaining pitching coach Carl Willis. Sandy Alomar Jr. handles the catchers and is the first base coach. He also helps the baserunners. Those two guys offer lots of experience for a rookie manager.
2. They offered DeMarlo Hale a chance to return, but the former Cleveland bench coach took the same job with Toronto. My guess is Hale knew he wasn’t in the mix to replace former manager Terry Francona, so he looked for a fresh start elsewhere.
3. The Guardians also kept hitting coaches Chris Valaika and Victor Rodriguez along with several other assistant coaches. I like the addition of Rouglas Odor, who spent 35 years in the Cleveland organization. He’s beloved by his players in the minors. Now, he comes to the big leagues. Odor is considered “an awesome leader” by the front office.
4. The bench coach is Craig Albernaz, who was a serious candidate to replace Francona. He coached and managed in the minors for Tampa Bay, then served as bench coach for San Francisco. Another former Giants coach joining the staff is Kai Correa, who worked in the Cleveland farm system at one point. It’s hard to keep up with all the moves because MLB teams have so many coaches/assistant coaches. Former Guardians third base coach Mike Sarbaugh was hired for the same job with the Mets.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ml...er-meetings-open-terry-pluto/ar-AA1kUNWq
