Examing Our Winter Deals

 We made a number of small deals this winter.  Would have liked to seen all these guys bunched together to get a top prospect or a major league guy (like the Phillies did with Gregory Soto) but we didn't do that so let's see who we gave up and who we got back:

1. Owen Miller to Milwaukee for a PTBNL - Miller just made the Brewers' roster as a utility player.  We still don't know who the PTBNL will be but it should be someone of the ilk of Justin Boyd OR Steve Hajjer.  It shouldn't be an Andrew Monasterio type return.  

2. Carlos Vargas for Ross Carver - Vargas has apparently made the D-backs and showed off his 100+ mph fastball against the Guardians yesterday.  Haven't heard much about Carver this spring but I did make a Carver sighting when I was at spring training.   This was, in my opinion, a no-lose trade for Arizona.  Not so much for the Guardians unless Carver becomes Peyton Battenfield part deux or better.  Time will tell.

3. Will Benson for Justin Boyd and Steve Hajjer - Benson will apparently be in the starting lineup on opening day after having an excellent spring.  Hajjer was rated at the 26-29th best prospect for the Reds before the trade but had been on the IL with shoulder problems 3 separate times last year and Boyd, although he was a second round pick in 2022, wasn't listed in Cincinnati's top 46 prospects on any site I saw.   Seems like a decent return for the Benson that LEFT Cleveland.  We will see if it was a good return for the Benson that arrived in Cincinnati.  Remember Brandon Phillips and Tyler Naquin for guys we gave up on who went on to have success in Cincinnati.   Not wishing Benson ill-will, just wishing us better results than we had in the other two moves.

That's it for those deals.  The Guardians' way of competing within the financial structure of MLB is  dependent on developing their own prospects to become major leaguers.  Part of that is not giving away players and getting nothing or very little back.  I mean, we got David Fry for JC Mejia and that is turning out to be EXACTLY the type of trade we should make in that situation.  You can't win every trade but, on paper, given what the Guardians are after long-term, you should win them on paper at the time.  Boyd fits with what they want (speedy college outfielders who can play center field and have good contact and pitch judgement skills).   Hajjer and Carver are immediately injected into the Guardians Finishing School For Young Pitchers.  They both have good stuff.  Let's see if the Guardians can turn that into success-in-the-majors stuff.

As I said, I would have tried to bunch those guys and get one good player from a team that is rebuilding.  Maybe they did.   But maybe, depending on the final version of the Owen Miller trade, they got quantity that they hope they can turn into quality.  Let's hope so.  The future depends on it.