NEWSLETTER
That was fast. There were rumors that the Cleveland Guardians were considering trading controllable starter Aaron Civale, despite their own need for pitching, and just like that, it’s happening.
And, despite the Guardians being a half-game out of a playoff spot, they’re trading Civale to a team they might wind up seeing in the postseason:
So, this is a big return for the Guardians, if you recognize the name. Manzardo, 23, is a top 50 prospect in baseball after raking his way up the minors. He has hit a bit of a blip this year at Triple-A (.238/.342/.442/93 wRC+), but still has solid peripherals and the scouting reports seem to still really like him. I can see why the Guardians are taking this chance, that they can deal Civale now and stay in the race, with a long-term first baseman their payoff.
So market-wide, your impact is that the Rays pick up their long-sought-after starting pitcher – they had SERIOUS needs – and one of the few available controllable starting pitchers is off the market. The Cubs, I still think, are unlikely to be in the starter market – controllable or rental, buying or selling – so I don’t necessarily see a ton of impact to them directly.
