Cleveland Guardians Should Pursue Trade For This Underrated Slugger

The Cleveland Guardians may boast the best record in the American League, but there is no question that their roster has some holes.

The Guardians' need for starting pitching is well-documented. Clearly, the team needs to add an arm (or two) before the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

But Cleveland could also use some help offensively.

Sure, the Guardians are fifth in baseball in runs scored, but the bulk of that production is coming from three players: Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor.

Cleveland ranks a rather pedestrian 13th in batting average, 12th in OPS and 10th in home runs, and we have seen the offensive inconsistency pose some problems for the Guardians throughout the season (like when they managed a combined six runs in their three recent losses to the Kansas City Royals).

So, who could Cleveland target between now and the deadline to shore up its rather middling lineup?

Cody Bellinger has been mentioned as a possibility, but his three-year, $80 million contract may prove too rich for the Guardians' blood. With the New York Mets back in contention, Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez are probably off the block, and while Luis Robert Jr. is tempting, the Chicago White Sox would probably ask for a king's ransom from their AL Central rivals.

That means Cleveland may have to get creative in perusing the market and look for relatively low-cost, potentially high-reward options.

Why not inquire about Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz?

The Marlins are absolutely going to be sellers over the next few weeks, and De La Cruz is a prime candidate to be moved.

The 27-year-old is slashing .241/.289/.419 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI over 370 plate appearances this season, and while that certainly isn't fantastic, his 15 homers would rank third on the Guardians by a rather wide margin.

Plus, it's important to keep in mind that De La Cruz is hitting in the middle of a miserable Miami lineup. While Cleveland isn't exactly the 1927 New York Yankees, it at least has a more respectable group of hitters than the Marlins, who rank last in OPS.

Perhaps one of De La Cruz's biggest selling points is his consistency. He broke into the majors in 2021, and since becoming a full-time starter in 2022, he has OPSed .725, .715 and now .708 this season. He owns a lifetime .258/.305/.419 slash line.

Again, De La Cruz is certainly not a world-beater, but he would represent a better option than what the Guardians are currently employing in the outfield outside of Kwan, and he would not cost too much in terms of prospects. Additionally, De La Cruz is making just $768,000 this season, and he is under team control through 2027.

On top of that, the Dominican native has shown tremendous improvement defensively over the past couple of seasons, developing into a respectable outfielder.

Look: the Marlins traded Luis Arraez for scraps in early May. They probably aren't going to ask for too much in return for De La Cruz.

Cleveland should at least place a phone call to Miami to discover the cost.