Three potential landing spots for Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase

The Cleveland Guardians do not necessarily need to trade closer Emmanuel Clase.

Clase signed a five-year, $20M extension with two $10M team options for 2027 and 2028 early in the 2022 season. He has since emerged as one of the best closers in the majors, a three-time All-Star who has led the American League in saves over the past three years. His contract, even for a Guardians team that operates with a shoestring budget, is one of the biggest bargains in baseball.

The Guardians, with a 43-48 record heading into Friday, are not out of the playoff picture. However, Cleveland is also five games out of the final playoff berth with six teams ahead of it in the standings. 

Relievers are always valuable at the trade deadline, and a controllable closer such as Clase with a track record of dominance and a bargain of a contract could bring back a return that would drastically change the Guardians' future.

Let's take a look at three possible landing spots for Clase ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Philadelphia Phillies

It seems that the Phillies are looking for help in the ninth inning every year, and 2025 is no exception. Jordan Romano has been an abject disaster for most of the season, leading to Matt Strahm getting a chance at the closer role. Jose Alvarado would be the Phillies' closer, but he is serving an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's PED policy and is ineligible for the postseason. The revolving door for the ninth inning has continued for another year.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is aware of those issues, saying that the bullpen would be a priority at the deadline. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that the Phillies would be willing to pay a higher prospect cost for a controllable reliever. Clase would be an expensive trade target, but he would also be the answer for years to come.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs attempted to find a stopgap option for the closer role in 2025, trading for reliever Ryan Pressly during the offseason. He lost the closer role after a historic implosion where he allowed nine runs, eight earned, without recording an out on May 6. Reliever Daniel Palencia has impressed in the ninth inning but is not an established closer.

The Cubs are in win-now mode. Outfielder Kyle Tucker, acquired in another trade with the Astros, is a free agent after this season. The Cubs are also attempting to fend off a scrappy Brewers team that is nipping at their heels in the NL Central. Clase would not only solidify the back of the Cubs bullpen this season but would be a cornerstone for the relief corps going forward.

New York Yankees

Much like the Astros, the Yankees attempted to shore up the ninth inning by making a trade during the offseason to bring in All-Star Devin Williams. And, much like the Cubs, that trade has not worked out as expected as Williams struggled, eventually losing the closer role.

Although Williams has turned his season around, the Yankees do have questions in the back of their bullpen. Relievers Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. are on the injured list. Ryan Yarbrough was moved into the rotation before he was injured. Clase would drastically improve the bullpen while giving the Yankees a long-term option for the ninth inning.