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The Guardians Undeniably Won This Past MLB Trade Deadline Deal
May 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) advances to third on a hit by Cleveland Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana (not pictured) during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Guardians Undeniably Won This Past MLB Trade Deadline Deal

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild  |  Last updated May 31, 2025 12:05 PM ET

The Cleveland Guardians are notorious for making questionable decisions and engaging in massive blockbuster trades, which may not ultimately benefit the big league team immediately after the deal happens.

However, Cleveland's scouting department and front office are solid at identifying young talent and often find themselves on the better end of trades years later.

That's exactly the case with one trade the Guardians made at the 2023 deadline when they traded Aaron Civale - their best starting pitcher at the time - to the Tampa Bay Rays for a minor league first baseman, Kyle Manzardo.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently included this deal in his "Ranking 20 MLB Trade Deadline Deals That Continue to Haunt Teams," and the Guardians were on the beneficial side of the deal.

"Manzardo has a 109 OPS+ with 10 home runs in 49 games this season hitting in the middle of the Guardians lineup, and with club control through 2030, he represents a low-cost run producer for an organization on a budget," wrote Reuter

On the other hand, "Civale logged a 5.17 ERA over 27 starts with the Rays in 2023 and 2024 before he was traded again last summer, with the Brewers acquiring him in exchange for low-level shortstop Gregory Barrios."

Cleveland's front office isn't perfect and has certainly been on the wrong side of trades years later. For example, the Tobias Meyers for Junior Caminero trade in 2022, the Guardians also made with the Rays.

However, at this point, it's clear the Guardians ended up on the winning side of the Manzardo trade with Tampa Bay.

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This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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