The Cleveland Guardians pulled off a trade for a former top prospect on Tuesday afternoon. They sent once-promising pitcher Cody Morris to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Estevan Florial.
Let's take a look at where the Guardians' outfield stands following the trade for Florial. The current players have been broken into four different tiers to organize it a little better.
Starter
- Steven Kwan
Looking at the list of outfielders on the current 40-man roster, Kwan is probably the only one locked into being in the Opening Day lineup. That could be in left field or center field depending on how the rest of the outfield shakes out.
Platoon/Bench Role
- Estevan Florial
- Myles Straw
- Ramon Laureano
- Will Brennan
Next up are the players who could be limited to more of a platoon/bench role given their ability.
Florial could turn into a solid player with consistent playing time, Myles Straw can be used as a defensive sub, Laureano mashes left-handed pitching, and Will Brennan still has a ton of potential as a two-way player. Each player has their niche, but that doesn't automatically make them starters.
The Prospects
- George Valera
- Johnathan Rodriguez
- Jhonkensy Noel
Sooner or later the Guardians are going to have to look to their next crop of talent currently at the Minor League level. Valera, Rodriguez, and Noel seem like the most likely candidates to get the first call-up once the time comes.
Each of these players has something the team is missing at the Big League level, power. Perhaps that could influence whether or not the front office decides to give one of them a chance.
Could Be An Outfielder If They're Hitting
- Deyvison De Los Santos
- David Fry
- Tyler Freeman
The biggest thing Cleveland needs out of their outfield is offense. This could push a player who's not a natural outfielder to a corner position if they're producing at the plate.
De Los Santos has expressed interest in playing outfield this offseason and Tyler Freeman has got some work out there as well. David Fry also played nine games in the outfield last season.
The Guardians overall have a lot of options and configurations they can test out in the outfield. However, most of these alternatives have a lot of question marks and "ifs" attached to them as well.
Florial could easily turn into a nice pickup for Cleveland. But, for right now, it doesn't solve the roster's biggest problem.
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