The Trade
On Monday, the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a deal to send starting pitcher Aaron Civale to the Rays, and first baseman Kyle Manzardo to Cleveland. Manzardo is MLB’s 37th-ranked prospect. This season, Civale has a 2.34 ERA in 13 games, along with 55 strikeouts in 77 innings.
The Deets
Civale, 28, is having a very nice season while earning just $2.6 million with another two years of club control beyond the 2023 season. Cleveland has been entertaining the idea of trading Civale for several weeks as they look to add to their struggling offense that averages just over four runs a game which is 24th in the majors. Just last week, the Guardians acquired starting pitcher, Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Dodgers. This move now solidifies Syndergaard in the starting rotation.
The Rays, on the other hand, were in need of rotation help, with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen going down with season-ending injuries. The need for rotation help has been gleaming since these guys went down. After failing to land Jordan Montgomery or Marcus Stroman as the trade deadline approached, they found their guy in Civale.
In Triple-A play, Manzardo has a .238 average, 38 RBI, and 63 hits. Manzardo is full of potential and could be Cleveland’s first baseman for years to come.
Where Both Teams Stand
The Guardians currently sit at .500 (53-53), a half-game behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins. The Rays, on the other hand, are 64-44, and a game and a half behind the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. Both teams are legitimate threats to win their divisions and potentially make a deep run in the playoffs. With Cleveland’s deep depth of pitchers and Tampa’s powerful offense, both teams could certainly start rattling off even more wins in the second half of the season.
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