Blue Jays & Guardians
Submitted by: John Meloche
Blue Jays
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Karinchak | 26 | Majors | RHRP | Low | 4 | 35 | 12.6 | 22.4 | 17.9 | 22.4 | 26.9 | |
| Zach Plesac | 27 | Majors | SP | Medium | 3 | 13 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 6.5 | |
| Cal Quantrill | 27 | Majors | SP | Medium | 3 | 25.8 | 15.6 | 10.2 | 8.2 | 10.2 | 12.3 |
Total Value:
38
Guardians
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex De Jesus | Minors | 3B | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.5 | ||||||
| Alejandro Kirk | 23 | Majors | C | DH | Low | 4 | 65.4 | 26.1 | 39.3 | 31.4 | 39.3 | 47.2 |
Total Value:
41.4
Comments
5Cleveland is not trading for Kirk. They certainly are not going to trade 40% of their starting rotation for a likely DH. This one makes no sense for the Guardians.
I don't believe for one minute that the Guardians are going to add a SP unless they trade Bieber. Trading Plesac and/or Civale just allows them to promote from within which is what got them into the playoffs this year. Morris, Pilkington, Curry and Gaddis have already made their debuts. Battenfield will be added to the 40 man and can make his debut. All 5 of those young pitchers are capable of outperforming Plesac and Civale. Morris and Battenfield are capable of outperforming Quantrill. That's the type of talent they have. Having said that, if the Guardians acquire a C from the Blue Jays it won't be Kirk or Moreno. Funny how the only one that's realistically a target isn't even mentioned. Toronto is likely to keep Moreno and Naylor outperformed him in AAA this season anyway. Unless Kirk's body goes through a transformation then he probably wouldn't be a target for Cleveland. I could see a Karinchak and a prospect for Jansen deal.
I am no expert on the Guardians but I have a ton of knowledge on the Jays and their system. As an outsider I understand the Guardians do not typically run a lot of payroll and often look to move guys once they are 1-2 years out of FA if they can't do an extension. So maybe they have no real need to trade Bieber but based on their history you have to assume teams are asking. Though the Jays likely look to matchup on a SP or RP with them. As a big fan of Kirk, most people look at the body and write him off. Surprisingly he actually looks really solid as a catcher and fielded his position really well. He was an all star and has great hitting skills, probably the Jays best pure hitter. He has put a lot of work into the conditioning and will keep improving there. Moreno is about as good of a catching prospect as you can dream on, so there will be tons of teams wanting him. His pop time is JTR level and his speed, contact skills are really amazing. I really am torn about trading him. That leaves us to Jansen who is the real backbone of their catching program. I am pretty doubtful they will move him. I think a lot of teams also would love to have him but its less of an impact deal as he only has 2 more seasons. I think its more likely they extend him but there are a lot of deals like you mention where they could do it
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Not likely to trade 3 SP I agree. However they had a scout following Kirk around during spring training and they have heavily scouted him. One of Kirk/Moreno could be moved. Will they move Quantrill or Bieber as they are getting expensive soon?
If Cleveland trades a starter, it would likely be Plesac. You have to remember that Cleveland won 92 games with the youngest team in MLB. Their best pitching prospects are likely to arrive mid 2023 or 2024. They will not take a step back in 2023 by trading Bieber or Quantrill this offseason. In fact, look for the Guardians add to their rotation, not trade from it.