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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-shane-bieber-return-cleveland');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shane Bieber gets brutally honest on returning to Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Guardians-news-Shane-Bieber-gets-brutally-honest-on-returning-to-Cleveland.jpg"></figure><h1>Shane Bieber gets brutally honest on returning to Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-10T09:27:37-08:00">January 10th, 9:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-10T09:41:52-08:00">January 10th, 9:41am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians reached the postseason in 2024 despite ace Shane Bieber suffering an early-season injury. Bieber entered free agency this offseason, but his market was uncertain after pitching in only two games during the ’24 campaign. In the end, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-shane-bieber-cleveland-mlb-free-agency-reunion">Bieber and the Guardians ultimately agreed to reunite</a>. However, was Bieber close to signing with another team before agreeing to return to Cleveland?</p><p>“It was that morning,” Bieber <a href="https://x.com/ChrisRoseSports/status/1877756073328672910" rel="noopener">said of when he knew</a> he was going to re-sign with the Guardians, via Chris Rose Sports. “It was looking bleak, and I’ll just leave it at that. And then… we were able to come to terms in the morning and throughout the day. It happened very quickly. I’m very, very happy to get something done and to be returning.”</p><p>Bieber admitted the situation was “bleak” for a moment. The former American League Cy Young winning pitcher was seemingly receiving interest from other teams. After Bieber signed with the Guardians, a report surfaced that suggested the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-aggressive-red-sox-pursued-shane-bieber-before-guardians-reunion">Boston Red Sox had interest in him</a>.</p><p>Bieber did not address the Red Sox rumor, but he knew that moving on was a possibility. The Guardians ace is excited to return to the only MLB team he has ever known, though.</p><p>“Just as an athlete, as a professional athlete, you end up hitting free agency,” Bieber continued. “Maybe you don’t sign that long-term extension that you were looking for and you ultimately have to prepare yourself to move on. And that’s just the business… Happy to run it back. No, never got Cleveland completely out of our heads or our hearts.”</p><p>Bieber, a two-time All-Star, features the ceiling of one of the best pitchers in the sport when healthy. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and will miss the first part of the 2025 season as a result. Perhaps Bieber will return in time to help the Guardians make another postseason run.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shane Bieber gets brutally honest on returning to Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-laughs-off-mlb-network-cleveland-snub');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jose Ramirez laughs off MLB Network’s Guardians snub');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jose-Ramirez-laughs-off-MLB-Networks-Cleveland-snub.jpg"></figure><h1>Jose Ramirez laughs off MLB Network’s Guardians snub</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-09T17:42:47-08:00">January 9th, 5:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-09T17:43:12-08:00">January 9th, 5:43pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians’ ability to perform above its payroll and talent level does not always get the attention it deserves, as the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers occasionally steal their thunder. Their 2024 season cannot be denied, however. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-stephen-vogt-kids-steal-show-al-manager-of-the-year-interview">Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt</a> came aboard and guided a small yet sturdy vessel to a divisional title and American League Championship Series appearance. But will magic ensue again in 2025?</p><p>MLB Network does not seem to think so, as evidenced by its early power rankings for next season. The Los Angeles Dodgers are understandably in the No. 1 slot with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees rounding out the top-three, but there are some surprises on the list. The Guardians’ omission from the top-10 is among the most heavily debated aspects of the rankings.</p><p>The <a href="https://x.com/MrLapara/status/1877463989065539726" rel="noopener">franchise’s biggest star even weighed in</a>. “Lol,” Jose Ramirez posted on X. The 32-year-old third baseman has finished in the top-five for AL MVP voting five times in his career but has never won the award, so he knows what it is like to fall short in the eyes of the critics. Ramirez and the rest of Cleveland’s clubhouse are sure to store MLB Network’s list in their mental bulletin board.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="qst">Lol. <a href="https://t.co/4s2y8MemTe">https://t.co/4s2y8MemTe</a></p><p>— Jose Ramirez (@MrLapara) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrLapara/status/1877463989065539726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Do the Guardians have enough for another deep playoffs run?</b></h2><p>We all underestimate the Guardians at our own peril. They are sneakily one of the most well-run organizations in MLB, <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/best-mlb-teams-winning-percentage-last-10-years" rel="noopener">having won 836 games</a> in the last decade, per StatMuse. Only the Dodgers, Houston Astros and New Yankees have amassed more victories in that span. Ramirez, who made his big-league debut in 2013, is a huge reason for the consistent success.</p><p>The five-time Silver Slugger and six-time All-Star posted a .279 batting average with 39 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .537 slugging percentage and .872 OPS in 158 games last season. He also played plus-defense at the hot corner, recording three outs above average. Ramirez will look to produce a 6.0 WAR or better for the fourth time in five years during the 2025 season. His <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-mookie-betts-freddie-freeman-comparison">individual excellence</a> might not rectify the Guardians’ potential limitations, though.</p><p>President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti traded away All-Star Josh Naylor and three-time Gold Glover Andres Gimenez in December and has yet to pursue additional starting pitching. The rejuvenated <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-carlos-santana-spurned-mariners-guardians-decision">Carlos Santana is a worthy replacement option</a> at first base and a healthy Shane Bieber is a possible boon for the rotation, but there are question marks on this roster. One can understand why MLB Network had reservations about putting Cleveland in the top-10.</p><p>But opinions do not matter in January. Jose Ramirez and the Guardians can live up to their reputation this year and prove the pundits wrong yet again. That’s why they play the games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jose Ramirez laughs off MLB Network’s Guardians snub

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-carlos-santana-spurned-mariners-guardians-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Carlos Santana spurned Mariners before Guardians decision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MLB-rumors-Carlos-Santana-spurned-Mariners-before-Guardians-decision.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Carlos Santana spurned Mariners before Guardians decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T12:53:41-08:00">December 23rd, 12:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:15:52-08:00">December 23rd, 1:15pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/diamondbacks-news-acquires-josh-naylor-trade-guardians">trading away Josh Naylor</a>, the Cleveland Guardians replenished their first base power <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-reunite-with-carlos-santana-after-josh-naylor-trade">by signing veteran Carlos Santana</a>. However, there is a universe where Santana signed with the Seattle Mariners.</p><p>The Mariners offered Santana a one-year deal with a player option, something the Guardians did not. Furthermore, Santana <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6014575/2024/12/23/carlos-santana-guardians-house-sale/" rel="noopener">said that his initial priority</a> was joining Seattle. But once Cleveland agreed to their Naylor trade and a spot for Santana opened up, he couldn’t resist, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.</p><p>While the first baseman got a $12 million deal from the Guardians, the fact the Mariners offered an option is telling. Going on 40-years-old, it wasn’t likely Santana earned a multi-year opportunity. He’d have to earn it of course, but his deal could’ve become of the two-year variety in Seattle.</p><p>Regardless, Santana spent the first eight years of his MLB career in Cleveland. After a brief one-year hiatus in 2018, Santana returned to the Guardians in 2019, where he won he earned his first and still only All-Star nomination. In the twilight of his career, Santana wanted to go home.</p><p>Which makes for a great story in Cleveland, and a troubling situation in Seattle. For as talented as Santana is, it’s not like he was the top free-agent option at first base. However, the Mariners will now be hard-pressed to find an option as good as Santana at the same price point.</p><p>If the team doesn’t make a significant addition at the position, Luke Raley is <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/depth-charts/mariners" rel="noopener">poised to open the season</a> as the starter. In his first season with the Mariners, Raley hit .243 with a career-high 22 home runs and 58 RBI, to go alongside 11 stolen base. Seattle will be looking for more consistency, but they won’t complain about the production.</p><p>Still, this is a Mariners team that finished 21 in the league with 676 runs scored in 2024. They were hoping Santana’s bat would provide some extra thump. But after he went to the Guardians, they’ll be searching for another option to bolster their lineup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Carlos Santana spurned Mariners before Guardians decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-yankees-carlos-santana-paul-goldschmidt-backup-plan');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Yankees had Carlos Santana as Paul Goldschmidt backup plan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MLB-rumors-Yankees-had-Carlos-Santana-as-Paul-Goldschmidt-backup-plan.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Yankees had Carlos Santana as Paul Goldschmidt backup plan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T16:55:40-08:00">December 21st, 4:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T16:55:40-08:00">December 21st, 4:55pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees were looking to upgrade at first base in free agency. On Saturday, New York agreed to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-paul-goldschmidt-12-5-million-contract">one-year, $12.5 million deal</a> with veteran Paul Goldschmidt. However, the team had a backup plan in place if they weren’t able to land the former National League MVP.</p><p>The Yankees intended on <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1870612924630196562" rel="noopener">turning to</a> Carlos Santana if they couldn’t get a deal done with Goldschmidt, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on X. After New York got their first baseman, the Cleveland Guardians signed Santana.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-guardians-listening-trade-offers-josh-naylor-lane-thomas">Guardians had been listening to trade offers</a> on their All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor this offseason. On Saturday, the team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/diamondbacks-news-acquires-josh-naylor-trade-guardians">sent Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks</a>, opening up a spot at first. Following the trade, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-reunite-with-carlos-santana-after-josh-naylor-trade">Cleveland signed Santana</a> to a one-year, $12 million contract.</p><p>The flurry of moves was set into action when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-nolan-arenado-shockingly-shot-down-astros-trade">Nolan Arenado blocked a trade to the Houston Astros</a> on Thursday. That caused Houston to pivot to free agent Christian Walker, who agreed to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-houston-christian-walker-nolan-arenado-trade-fiasco">three-year, $60 million deal with the Astros</a>.</p><h2><b>The Yankees were eyeing veteran 1B Carlos Santana as an insurance policy</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Carlos-Santana.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-yankees-linked-paul-goldschmidt-carlos-santana-missing-christian-walker">missing out on Walker</a>, the Yankees pivoted to Goldschmidt with 38-year-old veteran Carlos Santana as an insurance policy. Once New York inked Goldschmidt, the Guardians landed Santana to replace Naylor. The 15-year veteran played 150 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2024, producing 26 doubles, 23 home runs, 71 RBI and 2.5 WAR.</p><p>Goldschmidt, who is a year younger than Santana, spent the last six seasons of his 14-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. The seven-time All-Star played in 154 games last year, recording 33 doubles, 22 homers, 65 RBI and 1.3 WAR.</p><p>While Goldschmidt had a down season in 2024, he’s only a couple years removed from elite production, having won the league MVP in 2022. Goldschmidt is the second former MVP the Yankees have added this offseason, after bringing in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-new-york-acquires-cody-bellinger-cubs-blockbuster-trade">Cody Bellinger via a blockbuster trade</a> with the Chicago Cubs.</p><p>The Yankees hope that Goldschmidt can add some pop from a corner infield spot while providing veteran leadership. And, it’s possible his addition could have another benefit. Now that Goldschmidt is in New York, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-yankees-paul-goldschmidt-nolan-arenado-effect">Arenado could decide to join him</a>. The two spent the last four seasons together in St. Louis, which might motivate the Gold Glove third baseman to agree to a trade that sends him to the Bronx.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Yankees had Carlos Santana as Paul Goldschmidt backup plan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-reunite-with-carlos-santana-after-josh-naylor-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians reunite with Carlos Santana after Josh Naylor trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Guardians-news-Cleveland-reunites-with-Carlos-Santana-after-Josh-Naylor-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Guardians reunite with Carlos Santana after Josh Naylor trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T15:51:54-08:00">December 21st, 3:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T16:39:28-08:00">December 21st, 4:39pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite reaching the American League Championship Series this past postseason, the Cleveland Guardians are shuffling their roster. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/diamondbacks-news-acquires-josh-naylor-trade-guardians">traded first baseman Josh Naylor</a> to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday but wasted no time in acquiring his replacement. Veteran Carlos Santana is returning to his first MLB home after agreeing to a <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1870611166877368652" rel="noopener">one-year, $12 million contract</a>, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.</p><p>The Dominican Republic native signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005 but earned his first big-league opportunity with Cleveland. He enjoyed two successful stints there, separated by a one-year stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, and is now ready for another run with the Guardians. He continues to be a coveted addition for small-market franchises that are looking for impactful production at an affordable rate.</p><h2><b>Guardians try to juggle the present and future in offseason</b></h2><p>Santana belted 23 home runs and 71 RBIs and won his first-career Gold Glove with the Minnesota Twins in his age-38 season in 2024. Although it is risky to move on from Naylor’s solid bat, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is upgrading first base from a defensive standpoint.</p><p>Cleveland is staying true to its identity, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-finalizing-andres-gimenez-trade-with-guardians">flipping second baseman Andres Gimenez</a> to the Toronto Blue Jays before his contract is due to spike and dealing away Naylor before he hits free agency next offseason. Fans understand how the Guards operate by now, but they would like to see ownership be a tad more aggressive with its finances.</p><p>Maximizing return value for players who might cost more than they produce can be explained, just as long as the organization is investing in other areas. Beyond <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-shane-bieber-cleveland-mlb-free-agency-reunion">re-signing Shane Bieber</a> to a one-year contract and now bringing back Carlos Santana, Cleveland has not done much to address its MLB roster. Though, the Guardians usually have one or two tricks up their sleeve.</p><p>Santana, a former All-Star who was part of the franchise’s last pennant win, should do his part to keep the club in AL Central contention in 2025. With more than 1,300 games played for Cleveland, strong leadership presence and a dependable glove, this man exemplifies “Guardians baseball.” Progressive Field will welcome him back with open arms.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians reunite with Carlos Santana after Josh Naylor trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/diamondbacks-news-acquires-josh-naylor-trade-guardians');   ga('set', 'title', 'Diamondbacks acquire Josh Naylor in trade with Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Diamondbacks-acquire-Josh-Naylor-in-trade-with-Guardians.jpg"></figure><h1>Diamondbacks acquire Josh Naylor in trade with Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T15:13:31-08:00">December 21st, 3:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T15:35:15-08:00">December 21st, 3:35pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>Tristin McKinstry is an experienced sports writer who got his start back in 2014. He is an Associate Editor with ClutchPoints and is one of the staff's NHL experts. Tristin has worked professionally with The Inquisitr and GIVEMESPORT in the past, and his work has also been featured on Last Word On Sports, XFL News Hub, and USFL News Hub. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communications at Southern New Hampshire University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Arizona Diamondbacks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-guardians-listening-trade-offers-josh-naylor-lane-thomas">Cleveland Guardians have looked into trading Josh Naylor</a> throughout the MLB offseason. Naylor has had some solid seasons in Cleveland, but the Guardians have retooled a bit <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-finalizing-andres-gimenez-trade-with-guardians">as seen by the Anders Gimenez trade</a>. On Saturday night, a Naylor <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1870607560300253564" rel="noopener">trade finally came to fruition</a>, sending him to the Arizona Diamondbacks.</p><p>Naylor is off to the Diamondbacks, as first reported by New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The Guardians, meanwhile, received a player and a draft pick in return. Cleveland received right-handed starter Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Balance Round B pick, Heyman also reported.</p><p>Naylor broke out during the 2022 MLB season, hitting 20 home runs and 79 RBI during that season. In 2023, he stepped his game up a bit despite hitting three fewer home runs. Naylor’s performance with the Guardians even earned him some MVP votes, according to Baseball Reference.</p><p>Naylor reached another level in 2024, though. The 27-year-old hit a career-high 31 home runs for the Guardians in 2024. He slashed .243/.320/.456 in 152 games while walking 58 times and striking out on 105 occasions.</p><p>The Diamondbacks needed a new first baseman for the 2025 season. Arizona saw veteran Christian Walker leave in MLB Free Agency. Walker signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros on Friday.</p><p>The Diamondbacks had an internal option in Pavin Smith. The 29-year-old is a former top-10 pick from the 2017 MLB Draft. He has played north of 360 games in MLB to this point. However, Smith has just one season as a starting player under his belt, which came back in 2021.</p><p>The Diamondbacks have sought to add to their roster after narrowly missing the playoffs. Arizona knew adding a first baseman was a possibility this winter. To that end, they added one of the best on the trade market in Josh Naylor. It will certainly be interesting to see the impact he has in Arizona in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Diamondbacks acquire Josh Naylor in trade with Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-tigers-guardians-interested-in-veteran-cardinals-starters');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Tigers, Guardians interested in veteran Cardinals starters');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Tigers-Guardians-interested-in-veteran-Cardinals-starters.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Tigers, Guardians interested in veteran Cardinals starters</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T22:28:35-08:00">December 20th, 10:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T22:28:35-08:00">December 20th, 10:28pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals brass has made it clear all offseason long that their goal is to get younger entering the 2025 season, as they believe as though their veteran core has plateaued and that a soft reset is in order to get the proud franchise back to its usual level. To that end, the Cardinals have been making their veteran players <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-cardinals-surprising-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-trade-stance">available on the trade market</a> — including two starting pitchers in Erick Fedde and Steven Matz.</p><p>While Fedde and Matz are far from the flashiest starting pitchers to add to rotation, they should still command some interest on the trade market as veterans that won’t cost much in terms of salary as well as prospect capital. In fact, two playoff teams in 2024, the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, have <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/paul-goldschmidt-nolan-arenado-yankees-rumors?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share" rel="noopener">reportedly expressed trade interest</a> in the two Cardinals starters, as per MLB.com.</p><p>The Guardians and Tigers managed to make it to the postseason in 2024 despite operating on a shoestring budget relative to other contending teams. Last season, the Tigers ranked 26th in payroll while the Guardians ranked 23rd — all while combining for 178 wins.</p><p>Thus, their interest in both Fedde and Matz is understandable. The former, in particular, has managed to revive his career upon his MLB return in 2024, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-cardinals-agree-tommy-edman-erick-fedde-michael-kopech-led-3-team-trade">Cardinals brought him in via trade</a> in their attempt to fight for a playoff spot. He is only making $7.5 million in 2025, and he should be well worth the price for both of the AL Central teams that have expressed interest.</p><p>Matz, however, is a bigger question mark. He only pitched 44.1 innings in 2024, tallying a 5.08 ERA in the process. And to top it all off, he’s set to <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id/16106/steven-matz" rel="noopener">make $12.5 million</a> in 2025 — making it more difficult for the Cardinals to trade him away. But the silver lining is that he’s in the final year of his deal, so acquiring him wouldn’t require too much of a financial commitment moving forward.</p><h2><b>Cardinals expected to be sellers on the trade market this offseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nolan-Arenado-on-Sept.-25-2024-2.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to the availability of those two aforementioned starting pitchers, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-nolan-arenado-trade-situation-complicated">Cardinals have also made it no secret</a> that they would prefer to find a new home for Nolan Arenado in 2025 — shedding his huge salary in the process while opening up more playing time for their younger players.</p><p>The Cardinals, however, would not want to take on additional salary in any Arenado trade, as evidenced by their reported decision to decline an offer from the New York Yankees that would have sent Arenado to the Bronx in exchange for Marcus Stroman, who has two years left on his contract.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Tigers, Guardians interested in veteran Cardinals starters

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-josh-naylor-trade-talks-guardians-mariners');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Josh Naylor ‘mentioned’ in trade talks between Guardians, Mariners');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-19-24-naylor-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Josh Naylor ‘mentioned’ in trade talks between Guardians, Mariners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T11:36:39-08:00">December 19th, 11:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T11:36:39-08:00">December 19th, 11:36am</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Seattle Mariners have been one of the most frequently mentioned teams in trade rumors this offseason. With arguably the best and deepest starting rotation and the high price of starting pitchers in free agency, it makes sense that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-red-sox-mariners-pitcher-garrett-crochet-trade">teams have been calling about the Mariners’ arms</a>.</p><p>The Cleveland Guardians are the <a href="https://x.com/jonmorosi/status/1869803180340691091" rel="noopener">latest team</a> to check in with the Mariners about a potential trade, and are offering up one of their best players according to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi.</p><p>“Josh Naylor has been mentioned in trade talks between the Guardians and Mariners,” Morosi wrote. “He’s one of multiple names under consideration by the Mariners for an offensive upgrade at 1B.”</p><p>The Mariners desperately need to improve their offense, and first base is an especially glaring hole in their lineup. Naylor is one of the best offensive first baseman in all of baseball, and would immediately slot into the middle of the Mariners lineup.</p><p>Last season, Naylor had a .456 slugging percentage, hit 31 home runs and drove in 108 runs while being named an All-Star for the first time in his career.</p><h2><b>Who would the Cleveland Guardians want from the Seattle Mariners for Josh Naylor?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-19-24-naylor-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© David Dermer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>All of the Mariners’ top-five starting pitchers, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo, would hypothetically be appealing to the Guardians in a potential deal involving Naylor.</p><p>However, given the Guardians’ tendency to cut costs and operate on a smaller budget, it is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-why-mariners-hesitant-luis-castillo-trade">most likely that Castillo</a> and the final three years of his five-year, $108 million contract would be too expensive.</p><p>Gilbert and Kirby would also likely require more than just Naylor to get a deal done, making Woo or Miller the Guardians’ likely targets in a potential trade involving Naylor.</p><p>The 24-year-old Woo, who had a 2.89 ERA in 2024, and the 26-year-old Miller, who had a 2.94 ERA in 2024, would likely slot into the top of the Guardians’ rotation ahead of Shane Bieber, who the Guardians’ just re-signed, and Tanner Bibee.</p><p>It is unclear whether or not the Guardians would need to add anything else to a deal to acquire one of the Mariners’ starters.</p><p>If the Mariners choose to improve their offense through trades instead of free agency, Naylor would be just about as strong of an options as they could get. Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas has also been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, but Naylor is the much more established option.</p><p>The Mariners could also choose to keep all of their starting pitchers and instead sign one of the top free agent first basemen, like Christian Walker or Pete Alonso.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Josh Naylor ‘mentioned’ in trade talks between Guardians, Mariners

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-guardians-rays-dylan-cease-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Guardians, Rays floated as possible Dylan Cease trade spots');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MLB-rumors-Guardians-Rays-floated-as-possible-Dylan-Cease-trade-spots.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Guardians, Rays floated as possible Dylan Cease trade spots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T13:59:12-08:00">December 12th, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T14:31:39-08:00">December 12th, 2:31pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dylan <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-framber-valdez-dylan-cease-possible-trade-candidates">Cease could be a trade candidate for the San Diego Padres</a>. Why would the competitive Padres consider moving a star hurler like Cease? Well, Cease is going to be a free agent soon and the Padres may look to capitalize on his current value. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAF85kvWl4Y" rel="noopener">potential landing spots</a> for the 28-year-old.</p><p>“I would think the Cleveland Guardians would be interested in a trade for Dylan Cease,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “I would think the Tampa Bay Rays would be interested for one year of Dylan Cease.”</p><p>A trade is not guaranteed to happen. He is only under contract for one more season, though. If the Padres decide to keep Cease for the 2025 campaign, they may risk losing him in MLB free agency.</p><p>The Padres could wait until the 2025 MLB trade deadline in the middle of the regular season. If they deal Cease away now, though, they will receive a better return package. Teams will be willing to surrender more for one full season of Cease as opposed to a few months.</p><p>As a result, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-orioles-eyeing-dylan-cease-trade-with-corbin-burnes-reunion-looking-unlikely">Dylan Cease trade rumors are beginning to pick up steam</a>.</p><h2><b>Why are Guardians, Rays possible Dylan Cease trade destinations?</b></h2><p>The Guardians and Rays are two ball clubs that have found ways to be successful in recent years despite playing in small markets. Neither ball club spends too much money in MLB free agency. Both teams want to compete in 2025, and they could both benefit from adding a star pitcher such as Cease.</p><p>The Guardians could especially use the extra pitching help. They dealt with starting pitching concerns in 2024, as ace Shane Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-shane-bieber-cleveland-mlb-free-agency-reunion">Bieber re-signed with the Guardians this offseason</a>, but will not return until later in the year as he recovers from the aforementioned surgery.</p><p>Again, the Padres may end up holding onto Cease. If he is made available for a trade, however, the Guardians and Rays will be worth keeping an eye on as possible suitors.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Guardians, Rays floated as possible Dylan Cease trade spots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-guardians-traded-andres-gimenez-blue-jays');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Why Guardians shockingly traded Andres Gimenez to Blue Jays');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-11-24-gimenez-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Why Guardians shockingly traded Andres Gimenez to Blue Jays</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-11T20:53:36-08:00">December 11th, 8:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-11T20:53:36-08:00">December 11th, 8:53pm</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In one of the most surprising moves of the offseason so far, the Cleveland Guardians <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-finalizing-andres-gimenez-trade-with-guardians">traded three-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andres Gimenez</a> to the Toronto Blue Jays. After the trade was reported, many were asking why the Guardians, who had just made the ALCS, decided to move one of their best players.</p><p>The reasons why the Guardians felt like they had to trade Gimenez <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5988459/2024/12/11/mlb-winter-meetings-notes-garrett-crochet-trade-red-sox/" rel="noopener">were revealed</a> by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Wednesday.</p><p>“The Guardians, according to sources briefed on their thinking, feared a third straight subpar offensive season by Giménez would leave them unable to trade him,” Rosenthal wrote. “Facing their usual payroll limitations, they badly wanted to avoid the downside risk.”</p><p>“Club officials are confident Juan Brito, the Guardians’ No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, can handle second short-term,” Rosenthal continued. “And the path is now clear for Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, to take over the position, perhaps even later this season.”</p><h2><b>Did the Cleveland Guardians make the right decision trading Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/12-11-24-gimenez-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>According to Rosenthal, the Guardians felt like they could not risk Gimenez’ offensive production to continue to decline. After signing a seven-year, $106.5 million contract after a career-year in 2022 in which he was named an All-Star and finished sixth in American League MVP voting while hitting .297 with 17 home runs, Gimenez has not lived up to that deal, at least on the offensive end.</p><p>Gimenez’ batting average dropped from .297 in 2022 to .251 in 2023 and .252 in 2024. His slugging percentage dropped from .466 in 2022 to .399 in 2023 to .340 in 2024. Perhaps the biggest concern for the Guardians, his home run totals dropped from 17 in 2024 to 15 in 2023 to just nine in 2024.</p><p>For a small market team like the Guardians, they can not afford to ave a player signed to an expensive, long-term contract not performing. Based on that logic, his steady offensive decline and their organizational depth at second base, it made sense why the Guardians decided to move Gimenez despite being in a competitive window.</p><p>Especially with all of the pitching they were able to get in after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-pittsburgh-spencer-horwitz-guardians-trade">flipping Spencer Horwitz, who they acquired from the Blue Jays</a> for Gimenez, to the Pirates, it seems like the Guardians were able to improve in the trade.</p><p>The biggest question now will be if Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana, who Rosenthal mentioned as the Guardians next options at second base, will be able to meet their lofty expectations.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Why Guardians shockingly traded Andres Gimenez to Blue Jays

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pirates-news-pittsburgh-spencer-horwitz-guardians-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates acquire Spencer Horwitz from Guardians via intriguing trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Pirates-news-Pittsburgh-acquires-Spencer-Horwitz-from-Guardians-via-intriguing-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Pirates acquire Spencer Horwitz from Guardians via intriguing trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T21:02:39-08:00">December 10th, 9:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T21:02:39-08:00">December 10th, 9:02pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB winter meetings are underway and the transaction line has been buzzing all week long. Much of the focus has been on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-steve-cohen-admits-defeated-feeling-stunning-juan-soto-decision">Juan Soto’s record-setting contract with the New York Mets</a>, but teams all around the league have been negotiating and making deals in an attempt to improve their roster heading into 2025.</p><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates joined the list late on Tuesday night when they acquired infielder Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians <a href="https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1866689628507427177" rel="noopener">in a trade</a>, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Horwitz had just been dealt to the Guardians from the Blue Jays in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-finalizing-andres-gimenez-trade-with-guardians">deal that included Andres Giménez</a>.</p><p>“Guardians finalizing trade of 1B/2B Spencer Horwitz to the Pirates, source tells @TheAthletic,” Rosenthal reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Horwitz is part of Guardians’ return from the Blue Jays for Andres Giménez and Nick Sandlin.”</p><p>In return, the Pirates are sending prospect Josh Hartle to Cleveland <a href="https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1866690475970764815" rel="noopener">along with pitchers</a> Luis Ortiz and Michael Kennedy, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB Media.</p><p>Horwitz can play both first and second base and has been a versatile chess piece for the Blue Jays over his first two seasons in the league. He adds a young piece that can play multiple positions to an improving Pirates team that will give him an opportunity to play and get better as opposed to a talented Guardians squad that likely would have see him used as a bench bat.</p><p>In 2024, Horwitz appeared in 97 games for the Blue Jays. He hit .264 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs with 31 total extra base hits. His OPS+ of 125 shows that he is a promising, above-average hitter that still has room to grow and will get the opportunity to do so with the Pirates in 2025 and beyond.</p><p>Horwitz also made just two errors in 112 chances while playing both first and second base, so he is a solid defender out in the field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates acquire Spencer Horwitz from Guardians via intriguing trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-guardians-tigers-legend-rocky-colavito-dies-91');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians, Tigers legend Rocky Colavito dies at 91');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/File-photo-of-Rocky-Colavito.jpg"></figure><h1>Guardians, Tigers legend Rocky Colavito dies at 91</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T18:47:09-08:00">December 10th, 6:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T18:47:09-08:00">December 10th, 6:47pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Legendary power hitter and one-time American League home run king Rocky Colavito has passed away on Tuesday at 91 years old. As a six-time All-Star, Colavito has built a career as the muscle for the Cleveland Guardians (then-Indians) and other AL teams in the 1950s and the 1960s, including after Cleveland GM Frank “Trader” Lane traded him in the prime of his career to the Detroit Tigers after his 42-homer season in 1959.</p><p>“Cleveland Indians legend Rocky Colavito has died at the age of 91,” <a href="https://x.com/twithersAP/status/1866657431427879236" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Associated Press sports reporter Tom Withers.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Guardians also <a href="https://x.com/CleGuardians/status/1866656647902531984" rel="noopener">released a statement</a> celebrating Colavito’s career achievements.</p><p>“The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. He represented the club in three All-Star Games while finishing top-5 in MVP voting on three occasions,” per the Guardians’ official account on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Guardians icon Rocky Colavito, 1933-2024</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/File-photo-of-Rocky-Colavito-1.jpg"><figcaption>© UPI, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC</figcaption></figure><p>From 1956 to 1966, Rocky Colavito racked up 358 homers for the Guardians/Indians and Tigers, hitting at least 20 home runs in that span. Likewise, the only other players to rack up more homers in the same stretch are legends <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/updating-and-ranking-the-50-greatest-mlb-players-of-all-time">Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays.</a></p><p>In all, Colavito has hit 374 homers, putting him 81st on the all-time leaderboard. He sits ahead of Gil Hodges, and behind Carlton Fisk, Jeff Kent, Norm Cash, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/angels-news-ron-washington-mike-trout-mlb-players">Mike Trout</a>, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5874958/2024/12/10/rocky-colavito-cleveland-obituary/" rel="noopener">a report</a> from The Athletic.</p><p>Additionally, he is one of 16 players since the beginning of the 20th century to hit four home-runs in a game.</p><p>During his time with Cleveland, Colavito became one of four players in team history to own several 40-homer seasons, joining <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-manny-ramirez-statement-cleveland-hall-of-fame">Manny Ramirez</a>, Jim Thorne, and Albert Belle.</p><p>He was also the first player to own that distinction in back-to-back seasons, in 1958-1959, and he ranks 12th in team history with 190 homers all in all. Likewise, he is tied for 12th in OPS and slugging percentage.</p><p>However, Rocky Colavito spent much of his prime with the Tigers, where he racked up 45 homers, 140 RBIs, and 113 walks. Finally, Colavito finished his 14-year career with 1,730 hits, 1,159 RBIs, and an .848 OPS.</p><p>During his retirement, he entered broadcasting and coached the Indians and Royals. In 2006, Colavito entered the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-cc-sabathia-reaction-cleveland-hall-of-fame">Cleveland Hall of Fame</a> in 2006.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians, Tigers legend Rocky Colavito dies at 91

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
292	5.73	79	1.58	8

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
292	5.73	79	1.58	8

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