Are The Guardians Raising the White Flag with the Trade of Aaron Civale?

Cleveland – On Monday afternoon the Guardians acquired first baseman Kyle Manzardo from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitcher Aaron Civale. Cleveland’s pitching rotation has been riddled with injuries and Civale’s pitching has been very solid. He carried the lowest ERA (1.45) in the American League for July. With the injuries Civale provided a veteran presence for the young hurlers. His absence will leave a significant hole in the rotation.

With the trade being a one-for-one deal, it leaves many scratching their heads asking if the organization is punting the season. Chris Antonetti spoke to this today as he said he feels that the Guardians are still committed to winning the division.

“Acquiring a player like Kyle comes at a steep cost but at the end we felt this made sense for us to being able to bring what we think can be an impact offensive player for the organization. It does leave a void in our ration, but we do believe we can address that both within our internal options and potentially even with some external acquisitions – as we’ve made with Noah Syndergaard – or what may transpire before the end of [the trade deadline]”

Cal Quantrill hopefully is returning in the next few weeks. This leaves Xzavion Curry, Peyton Battenfield and Hunter Gaddis as possible replacements for Civale.

Manzardo is battling a shoulder strain injury. He is working through his progression since early July. The first baseman is expected to join the Cleveland minor leagues before the end of the season. Manzardo is a career .291 hitter with a .935 OPS across MiLB. He’s is currently ranked 37th on MLB’s Top 100 List.

Antonetti stated that “It’s difficult to acquire these types of players in this case we hold Kyle in high regard, and we think he can develop into a really good offensive player.”

Where does Manzardo fit in?

Josh Bell is only under contract through next season which could open a spot for Manzardo. Josh Naylor and Manzardo could split time at first base and DH. Manzardo has also played outfield. Thus giving the team a few options to add him in the roster.

Looking ahead without Aaron Civale

Civale was a staple in the Cleveland rotation. Will the loss of Civale impact the Guardians enough to lose the division? Probably not, however, it can set back the team if the younger pitchers struggle throughout the remainder of the season. This trade also can have an impact in the clubhouse.

Antonetti was mindful of that saying that he “spoke to Tito and Carl we feel that we have some options to turn to in the rotation and again this also positions us well and gives us a good offensive player moving forward.”

Fans clamored to “let the kids play” and the Guardians organization has traded Amed Rosario and Aaron Civale which allows just that to occur. Will the same magic of last season show up in August and September? Or are these moves based on the future? It’s difficult to comprehend giving Civale for a prospect when the rotation definitely needed him. Let’s see what the team has left in the tank as they battle to win the American League Central.