Two months ago, I wrote about Andres Gimenez’s 2022 breakout and how it was a critical factor in propelling the Guardians toward what would eventually be their first division title since 2018. Gimenez finished strong following that Aug. 30 writing, going on to bat .282/.387/.385 in his final 137 plate appearances.
For the season on the whole, Gimenez batted .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs, 26 doubles, three triples and 20 steals — pairing that all-around offensive value with some of the game’s best defense at second base. Even if you expect some regression based on this year’s .353 average on balls in play — Statcast pegged him with an “expected” .257 batting average, based on the quality and frequency of his contact — Gimenez still looks like a strong defensive infielder with quality on-base percentages, some power and plenty of speed.
The excellence of Gimenez’s season goes a long way toward justifying the organization’s trade of Francisco Lindor, at least from a pure roster standpoint. Lindor was terrific in his second season with the Mets, but Guardians ownership was never going to give Lindor the type of contract he received in Queens, and Gimenez showed that he can be a building block himself. With four years of club control remaining, he could be — or at least should be — an offseason extension candidate.
Of course, Gimenez alone was not the sole return for Lindor. Also acquired in that swap was another longtime top infield prospect of the Mets: Amed Rosario (plus outfielder Isaiah Greene and right-hander Josh Wolf). Soon to turn 27, Rosario perhaps hasn’t lived up to the sky-high expectations set when he was ranked among the top five to ten prospects in all of baseball, but he’s settled in as a solid option for the Guardians at shortstop. He hit .283/.312/.403 in 670 plate appearances this season, bringing his collective output in two seasons with Cleveland to .282/.316/.406. By most metrics, this was also his best defensive season (though Statcast disagreed, grading him at seven outs below average).
Unlike Gimenez, however, Rosario’s contract status isn’t quite so favorable. Despite his youth, Rosario debuted with the Mets way back in 2017 and spent three full seasons as a regular with them. As such, he came to the Guardians with “only” three seasons of club control remaining. He’s now coming up on the third and final of those three seasons.
Rosario not only has just one season of club control remaining — he has one relatively expensive season of control remaining. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $9MM salary for Rosario next year in his final season before free agency. For a solid everyday shortstop with at least an average bat, that’s a reasonable price to pay. Rosario hit 11 home runs, stole 20 bases, knocked 26 doubles and paced the Majors with nine triples. Baseball-Reference’s version of wins above replacement (which uses Defensive Runs Saved as the primary defensive component) pegged him at 4.1 WAR. FanGraphs’ version (which uses Ultimate Zone Rating and Statcast’s OAA) pegged him at 2.3 WAR. Any way you slice it, Rosario looks like a good value at that rough price point.
Then again, that’s simply looking at the situation in a vacuum — which few front offices have the luxury of doing. That $9MM figure would’ve represented about 13% of the Guardians’ Opening Day payroll from the 2022 season. Cleveland only has a combined $18MM in guarantees on next year’s books, but their arbitration class could tack another $37MM or so onto the ledger. Add in another 15 pre-arbitration players at or around next year’s $720K league minimum, and the Guardians are right back to the $68-69MM mark at which they opened this past season — before making a single addition.
Granted, the strength of Cleveland’s young players is a large reason they defied expectations and won the AL Central in 2022, and it’s justifiable to suggest that they could effectively run out nearly the same group again in 2023 and be competitive. Doing so, however, would rely on replicating this year’s uncanny level of health; the Guardians had by far the fewest IL days of any team in baseball. There’s also the simple fact that even with a roster good enough to take the division, the Guards fell in the ALDS. The very fact that they had a postseason run at all could provide some extra revenues and boost payroll in 2023, but the extent to which that might be true isn’t clear at this juncture.
Beyond the payroll implications is the simple fact that Cleveland is rife with middle-infield options and could look to fill Rosario’s role internally while reallocating that salary to other areas of need. Gimenez rose through the minors as a shortstop and has thrived there in limited Major League work, posting six Defensive Runs Saved, five Outs Above Average and a 2.3 Ultimate Zone Rating in just 452 innings. There’s good reason to believe that he could slide to the other side of the bag and not only handle the position but even improve Cleveland’s infield defense.
Looking beyond Gimenez and Rosario, Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias both made their MLB debuts in 2022 and have been considered among the organization’s best prospects for the past couple seasons. Neither hit much in the Majors, and Arias struggled in Triple-A as well, but both are young and at least on the cusp of MLB readiness. Freeman, who fanned in just 9.3% of his Triple-A plate appearances, seems to fit a brand of Cleveland baseball that particularly emphasizes bat-to-ball skills.
Elsewhere in the minors, the Guardians have touted 21-year-old Brayan Rocchio, though he has just 33 games in Triple-A under his belt and struggled at the plate as one of the younger players in that league. Jose Tena gives Cleveland yet another 21-year-old middle infield option who’s already reached Triple-A; he’s not as highly touted as Rocchio but did bat .267/.306/.419 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.
Depending on which of the in-house middle infield prospects forces his way onto the big league roster first, Cleveland could deploy Gimenez at either middle infield spot. Freeman, for instance, has played plenty of shortstop but is generally regarded as a future second baseman. Rocchio and Arias, meanwhile, have drawn plus grades for his glovework at shortstop in scouting reports — as did Gimenez during his prospect days. The logjam of talented, young, up-the-middle defenders is hardly a true “problem” for the Guardians, though, and Gimenez’s ability at either spot gives the team the luxury of letting the situation play itself out in Spring Training and early next season.
Suffice it to say, there are plenty of options for Cleveland in the middle infield if they look to move Rosario and spend the roughly $9MM or so he’d command in another manner, be it in the outfield, behind the plate or to deepen an already excellent pitching staff. The question facing the front office this winter is whether it’s prudent to spend more than 10% of the 2023 budget on Rosario when the organization is flush with talented middle-infield options who could play a key big league role for the league minimum.
There’s certainly an alternative scenario where they keep Rosario and trade some middle-infield talent to bolster another position on the roster, so Rosario shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a sheer lock to be traded. That said, history tells us the Cleveland organization will be plenty comfortable listening to offers on him this offseason. And, given the number of teams that are on the lookout for middle infield help every offseason — and the number of teams for which that projected $9MM salary wouldn’t be nearly so cumbersome — it’s easy enough to connect the dots and see that a trade is at the very least quite plausible.
I’m not a fan of the Indians. But I do root for them to get better.
Considering what all the FA SS will be paid, $9MM is cheap. Consider Rosario as Bogaerts Light. He’s better than XB defensively, and is 80% or more of the bat. If Cleveland did not have the middle infield depth, even they may hold on to him.
Incidentally, I think this makes the Yankees a logical trade fit. Rosario would allow them to sit out the free agent market there (which will get pricey) and hold down the fort until Volpe us ready.
What am insult to Bogaerts. Rosario is more like IKF.
Cleveland sets a value on a player.. like Rosario.. If that value is met in terms of the trade return.. a deal is consummated. If not.. Rosario stays…
Could be what ends up happening..
Rosario is a very good young player. Really feels like most people forgot how good a prospect he was very quickly after he came up wuth NYM. Not shocking he had a good year.
This feels more like a scenario where Rosario plays out the last year of his contract and then goes from there. He’s more valuable to Cleveland than what you’re going to receive in a trade and they don’t any more prospects. I think Rocchio is ultimately the next guy, so it wouldn’t shock me to see either Arias or Freeman be used in trade packages this offseason.
Every team needs prospects…. And I think it’s a lot more likely the guardians trade Rosario than retain him. Keeping players and losing them to free agency isn’t the way they tend to business.
I think any team that loses their premier shortstop could look at Rosario as a stop gap and would be willing to give up a couple decent prospects to get him.
@drascoo36 – Sure, every team needs prospects, but Cleveland has an over abundance of them. They have another 40 man roster crunch upcoming and prospects that probably should be getting everyday ABs (Freeman, Arias, Jones, Brennan) and not enough spots to get those ABs. For just 1 year of Rosario, what could they possibly get in return that they don’t already have? There window right now is contention. I just don’t see a good match.
I don’t think CL thinks in terms of windows. it’s what has made them so consistently good, but never great.
The prospects don’t have to be ready for the 40 man roster. Cleveland can deepen the farm system and get guys that are a few years away and start getting the next wave of talent ready. I would love to use Rosario and plesac and a prospect or 2 to improve centerfield or catcher, but we will see what the from office has in mind, no reason not to trust them yet
@Indiansjoe – If we hadn’t had the season that we did and saw the progression of a lot of players, I’d totally be fine with that. By trading Rosario, can Arias and/or Rocchio replicate his production? I’m not quite sure. And I don’t see Rosario as part of a package. With one year remaining, seems more inclined that he would be the focal point of a trade, not a piece of a bigger deal.
We’re not going to see a change in CF. The glove work Straw provides is too good. He had an off year at the plate if you look at his BABIP, he should improve. I would take .250 with that defense.
I do think that Straw can be at least a little better at the plate (mainly because he can’t be worse), but I’m in favor of him being a fourth outfielder. I just doubt it happens, partially because they already extended him but also because of what else he can do. That said, Kwan could easily handle center and if Valera is ready before too long, that solves the other corner. (It also assumes that Oscar plays at his 2022 level over a full season and can handle adjustments to how he’ll be pitched.) I’m also a huge Will Brennan fan, and I think it’s possible he could develop into a starter.
Straw was a 2.5 win player with a .564 OPS — which is absurd. I can live with him not hitting a ton because of what else he provides, just like I could live with Hedges not hitting because of what else he can do. The problem is that it’s tough having basically two automatic outs, so if they bring Hedges back next year then I just can’t imagine they’re both everyday hitters.
Arias impressed me in the ALDS, and I think it says a lot that they were willing to put him at a position he’s barely played in a playoff series. I also think it says a lot that they carried him over Freeman down the stretch.
I’m by no means out on Freeman, but he’s the one I’d probably look into moving first if it’s possible. His skillset fits really well with their identity, but he’s probably a second baseman only without elite defensive skills or power. He still has value as a post-hype top 100 guy, so this is probably their best chance. (I’d love to keep him, but they need to start consolidating some of these prospects and there are just other guys that I like more than him.)
I might be in the minority here, but I’d keep Rosario next year and take it from there. I’m a fan of Arias (and especially Rocchio) long term, but it’s tough to expect any rookie to just jump right in and contribute. I also don’t think any offers for one year of him would be worth what they’d be giving up on the field or in the locker room.
I know it doesn’t fit their M.O. because they wouldn’t be getting something out of it long term, but I’d keep him for next year and see what happens after that. If he plays himself into being part of your core, extend him. If not, let him walk, even if you end up with nothing.
Rosario would be a godsend here. Hold down SS and give Neto and Soto more development time. Or be a solid extension candidate here.
Problem is we’re already short on prospect capital and more than one player away from contention.
I’m thinking the same thing for the RS. Two years would be better, but if Mayer is two years away, Rosario could take one of those years. We could also overpay for a one-year extension.
Rosario is certainly a trade candidate, but how much return can you get in return? if they can package him and Plesac for a power bat, then I’m ok. But as Jose’s buddy, he has value to this team that he doesn’t have for others.
I hope the Cards can make a move for Rosario. That would make the roster picture much more clear.
Would Yepez for Rosario and a Joey Cantillo or Hunter Gaddis-type float your boat?
I think it would be the opposite way around. Yepez alone is not going to be enough for Rosario.
TheRealMilo, I would think the Guards would be very interested in Yepez, but not for both Rosario and Cantillo. Maybe Gaddis because he doesn’t have a huge amount of value.
If you look at MLB Trade Values (not that that site it the bible of player value) Rosario is worth about twice of Yepez.
Maybe Rosario for Yepez straight up.
I would definitely be interested in a Yepez for Rosario trade. I’m pretty sure Cleveland would want more, but that’s a reasonable place to start.
Rosario for Yepez and a top ten Cardinals prospect, preferably a MLB ready LHP. .
Yepez at 0.4 WAR for Rosario at 4.1 WAR? You are kidding, right?
Agree. Nice option to play 2nd in the lineup and interesting stopgap before Winn is ready to play in the Major. If the price is right, something the Cards should think about.
Agree. Nice option to play 2nd in the lineup and interesting stopgap before Winn is ready to play in the Major. If the price is right, something the Cards should think about
Agree. Nice option to play 2nd in the lineup and interesting stopgap before Winn is ready to play in the Major. If the price is right, a trade the Cards should do.
Agree. Nice option to play 2nd in the lineup and interesting stopgap before Winn is ready to play in the Major. If the price is right, a trade the Cards should do
Do you agree or disagree?
Sounds like they are not yet ready to go make a serious run at the WS. A couple years away from that run, maybe? So move Rosario now to help acquire a piece or 2 that could possibly be a part of that run?
C Yards Jeff;
That team will be in contention for at least the next 3-5 years. In fact, the new minority owner has an option to buy the team in 5 years. It’s all been planned.
Like the Orioles, they – Francona – move many players around to different positions. And like the Orioles, they’re sitting in a position of strength with all their young, controlled, cheap players. I’d guess both FO’s are still sorting out what they have. Doesn’t mean they don’t want to make a try for the WS in 2023.
There is a lot of depth up the middle. If they trade Rosario, it is probably a signal that they think they can get similar production from Arias. Rocchio is another guy they are really high on but probably won’t be a factor to start 2023.
Tough call though because Rosario is a big clubhouse guy.
Ahmed Rosario will be traded this off season. He’s much better than this article says he is. I think CLE is wary of Zach Plesac too. The market is strong. ARI, BOS, CHC, CHW, LAA, LAD, MIL, MIN, SEA and/or so many other trading opportunities may need an IF.
What the Indians should do is try to attain another power bat as that was one of their weakness as they relied on base to base which is fine but it takes many hitters to do it.
And the first would be to find a replacement for Hedges. Cleveland will not get over the hump until they find a catcher who can do both—catch and hit.
The Astros start Maldonado and he can hit a damn thing.
Odds are they win the WS this year. Cleveland should target Vasquez this off-season though if they want some more O than Hedges. Bo Naylor could be the LT solution but he is a young C that will need some time.
Martin Maldonado is better in every way than Austin Hedges; a far better receiver, a far better arm and even though he doesn’t hit for average, he hits better than Hedges, and with twice the power. Look it up.
I’m not saying Martin Maldonado is one of the top overall catchers in baseball, but you brought him up. For a stocked Houston team (who can afford a diminished bat), he’s perfect for them and their pitching staff. (Verlander, for instance, wants Maldonado for his starts.)
But Cleveland cannot afford Hedges’ bat when there are catchers like Christian Vazquez, Austin Wynns, and Mike Zunino (who I wouldn’t want on my team), but they are far better choices—on both sides of the ball—than Hedges. The Guardians can do better for their starting catcher.
Maldonado is admittedly weak offensively. He had a 70 WRC+ and 69 OPS+ this year, so one could say he’s roughly 30% below league average offensive production.
Hedges’ offense however is like on another level below that in historically bad territory. He had a WRC+ and OPS+ of 42, so he’s 58% below league average in terms of offensive production. Almost twice as bad as Maldonado.
Hedges is an awesome defender, but there’s a difference between being weak offensively and being historically bad. At a certain point no amount of defensive value is worth how bad the offense is.
Nope. baseballprospectus.com/leaderboards/catching/
Here is another factor. Guardians pitching had a 3.37 ERA with Hedges behind the plate and 3.55 with anyone else this season. Astros pitching had a 2.91 ERA with Maldonado behind the plate and 2.89 with anyone else. Hedges made his pitchers better and Maldonado was basically the same as anyone else that donned the tools of ignorance for the Astros Who calls the game matters as much or more than how a catcher hits. It effects an average of 38 plate appearances per game while the catcher only comes to the plate 4-5 times per game.
You really shouldn’t use catchers ERA like that.
Sorry, but those numbers are not definitive, Why? You’re comparing Hedges to Maile, not to Maldonado. Besides as Dustyslambchops23 says, those kind of stats have sooo many variables baked in they’re hardy reliable.
Because? Its the way it was intended to be used. To compare catchers that are behind the plate for the same set of pitchers.
You don’t understand the stat, do you? At no point did I compare Hedges CERA to Maldonado’s CERA. The stat was used to compare catchers on the SAME team. Not different teams. Hedges made his pitchers better than the other Guardians catchers. Maldonado did not make his pitchers better than the other catchers on his team. There ARE no variables baked into CERA when you are comparing catchers that are behind the plate for the same pitchers. Which they are in this case. Like Hedges, Maldonado only adds value with his glove and game calling. Hedges was as good or better at every aspect of being a catcher.
Because pitchers don’t consistently pitch to their ERAs. A pitcher with a 4.50 era doesn’t always give up 3 runs in 6 innings, sometimes they give up 1 and sometimes they give up 5, even with the same catcher.
So when looking at catcher era you’re using variable results as a prove point. Eliminating park, opponents, weather and general performance by the pitcher that day. It’s pretty much a completely useless stat
Different opponents lol.
So if one catcher caught against the Astros Vs the royals, how does that show who is the better catcher ?
There is a reason that its quoted whenever a catcher like Maldonado or Hedges is mentioned by FO personnel. Its vital to understanding how well a catcher calls a game. A SINGLE game is an outlier. A season is not. That is what CERA is in this case. A full season. Multiple seasons make it even more critical to understanding the game calling part of the catchers job. Not one talent evaluator I have ever read has said that Maldonado was even in the same class as Hedges behind the plate. There is a reason that a guy with a .169 BA the last 3 seasons for the Guardians was the number one catcher on a playoff team. He is that good behind the plate and at handling pitchers from game prep to pitch calling.
We are not talking about a single game. We are talking about a season. You keep bringing up outliers when a season is being discussed. It shows clearly that you do not understand the stat.
No you really don’t, because a full season in this stat is a 30 game sample size max per pitcher.
so playing the Astros 5 times Vs the royals is not an outlier, it’s a meaningful skew of the data. Someone doesn’t understand the stat, it’s certainly not me
Pete’sView: Cleveland already has their NEXT catcher. It’s Josh Naylor’s younger brother Bo. He struggled in his first few MLB games but he should be solid for the next handful of seasons.
Prospectnvstr — Right, and I hope Naylor is the answer. But it will be awhile before the Guardians know if he’s the real deal. His AAA numbers look really good. But in the meantime, how bout a two-year deal for someone/anyone better than Hedges?
I understand this site looks at everything via stats that a rotisserie league owner would use to make a decision on his/her roster next year.
However, this is the Guardians consideration…
They are an organization that emphasizes playing as a team. They are not a cumulative total of statistics – which is why their Win totals are usually higher than one would think looking at their individual statistics.
Cleveland is coming out of a ‘Rebuild on the fly’. Like the Orioles, they have far more players than positions for them on the ML roster….and even more prospects in the high minors that should be up shortly.
They value leadership. Being a young team, Jose Rameriz is to the Guardians what Freddie Freeman was to the Braves when they came out of their rebuild. The Braves also brought in Nick Markakis to help set the tone and provide some veteran guidance for the young players as they adjusted to ML baseball. In this case, Jose Rameriz and Amed Rosario have become best friends, and along with Josh Naylor are the veteran team leaders.
So when they think about replacing Rosario at SS it’s more then can they get someone to replace his statistics.
Worse yet, they can’t trade him for multiple prospects, because they already have a 40 man roster crunch, and prospects that they can’t get more playing time for.
This is a difficult decision. My guess is that they try to sign Roserio to an extension and if they find youngsters that can play in the middle infield with Gimenez’, at that point they can trade Rosario to get something they need.
The key to sustainable contention in MLB is flexibility.
Rosario Speed is very valuable to this team with their base-to-base strategy, so they would need someone who can hit and run like he does. I agree Rosario means more to Cleveland than maybe some other team.
Man I don’t know who samuel is but his comments lack any understanding of the game and are also so robust and long but add absolutely zero value
Sammy likes to types essays proclaiming how smart he is, which is crazy because if you’ve ever read one of his long winded 3 page papers, you immediately kicked yourself for reading such crap.
What Samuel misses is that Cleveland would not have to trade for prospects that have to be added to the 40 man roster. They could trade for recent high draft picks that won’t need protection for a couple years, but will likely be fast movers. I’m sure Lindor was a team leader, but they survived trading him. Atlanta hardly missed a beat moving on from Freeman. Chemistry is important, but every team has turn over. Next up!
@stymeedone – Lindor took a nap during the game 7 rain delay of the 2016 World Series. I wouldn’t even put him in the same ballpark of Rosario when it comes to leadership.
You say the same thing over and over. We get it man. You think most of us view roster construction like fantasy baseball, even if that’s not true at all. You might think you’re the smartest guy in the room, but you’d be alone.
Roy DeMeo;
Yes man….
Did you read the article? Was what I wrote in there? Is there anything I brought up that you disagree with – because all you did was make a personal attack on me.
So far, none of the comments are bringing up the points I did.
Stick it kid!
What they really need to do is put Francona out to pasture. He looks absolutely terrible and you can’t have someone like that speaking to reporters or doing any kind of press whatsoever. Bad look.. Stick him in a skybox out of public view with a fake mustache or even a bag on his head if they’re dead set on keeping him around.
Terry Francona is an excellent manager.
First person I’ve heard that didn’t like his press conferences.
There are more of us. I am just the designated leader.
His latest conference was about as good a press conference as I’ve ever seen.
This is the worst comment I’ve ever seen on this website – by far. Tito is the issue? Worst comment ever – my god.
Meanwhile, the Mets are paying Lindor 300 mil+ to dye his hair fabulous colors.
Yah and to be a top 3 SS in the league, which he was this year
But he’s paid like the #1, so if he’s not performing at that level, he’s overpaid and not providing excess value. Top 3 doesn’t do it.
@stymeedone I 100% agree. Lindor is one of the best fielders I’ve ever seen. With that being said, his hitting is no where near worth 341 million with including his defense. Hes Andrelton Simmons with a lot more power. Now if Lindor was batting .330 with 50 homeruns then he has the potential to be worth half that contract. Theres not a single player in baseball that should be worth over 100 million dollars. I know though that just about everyone on this site would disagree
Mind explaining Why you feel he is being paid like a number 1?
Seager and Correa both made more than him this year.
Sorry but I think you’re way off. He’s a premier player at a premier position, he’s only overpaid in the same way all elite baseball players are. You can argue the same about seager and I’m sure next year Correa and Turner
Rosario is a very solid player. Most major league teams have revolving doors at the position year after year hoping to find a Rosario. Either that or a 30 mill shortstop unless you hit an in-house like bichette or Peña. Rare . Really no in between. Which makes Rosario very valuable imo
As Jose Ramirez says, “pay the man.” He’s huge part of the juice that made the Guardians go.
I can see paying him for next year and one of his free agent years….maybe an option after that. But if he wants a long term contract I think he’s gone.
Someone up above said he looks like a guy who will play with Cleveland for this year then walk and I think that is probably the highest probability outcome.
With the balanced schedule next year Cleveland’s central schedule advantage disappears. Still with the royals and tigers in the dregs the white six and teins also face tougher schedules. That tells me a wild card birth out of the central is unlikely. Cleveland is in competition with two teams. They need to improve to be better than them.
*White Sox and Twins
They need to improve to be better than two teams that they beat by over 10 games? I’m not sure that’s the case.
You assume that neither team will try to get better this winter? You assume Cleveland won’t suffer injuries or simply not have luck like it did this year? If you stand still you die. Cleveland needs to improve to make sure it is better than the rest of the central.Hard to imagine that neither twins nor white Sox work to make up those 10 games.
In nurse follars;
Almost their entire team is young. Those that get playing time will be improved from what they did in 2022.
Sure. Just like Oscar Mercado. There is always regression. Some might improve. Some might stall. Some might have injuries. Some might stink. If player performance was predictable no one would play or watch.
They need to improve to be better than the team they lost to in the playoffs and better than the Astros who beat that team handily. To do that they need to be able to compete with pitching staffs putting up an ERA under 3 in the playoffs. They didn’t have the depth to do that this season. They were exposed in the ALDS when they had to have 4 pitchers start games. That staff is incredibly young so they might evolve into a dominant playoff caliber staff.
Rosario is a future 3B, not a SS. He has poor range but a reliable glove and a good arm. He will continue to churn out 2-3 WAR for a while probably, which just isn’t all that appetizing to complete teams, but if there’s a hole he is an instant upgrade.
They had by far the fewest IL days in baseball, but they also had the youngest roster in baseball. I would expect some correlation there. Has that been studied?
rhswanzey;
I keep writing the same thing….
Younger players get injured less than older players, and when they do get injured they heal faster.
The O’s were also a young teeam this past season. They had few injuries as well.
Both teams also protect themselves by not having a set lineup of 8 position players, but rotating 3 or 4 positions which keeps their players fresher and subsequently less susceptible to injury. Doubt this was by accident.
All teams, including the Guardians, had revenue in excess of $250 million in 2022. That means they have a lot of room to increase spending. They have no excuses other than profit taking by the owner to spend less than $120-130 million on their 40 man payroll.
Is the 40 man roster the only expenses to operating a franchise?
Operating expenses are less than half of revenue for every team. Some like the Yankees and Dodgers it less than 30%. Forbes said that it averaged $132 million in 2021 with the Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Astros, Rangers, and Cubs being the top 10 in no particular order. To me it looks like a combination of attendance and how expensive COL is in each of those states. Do you think Cleveland is in the upper half or lower half in operating expenses?
Why would you want to trade Rosario? In the 2 years he has been in Cleveland he has a BA of 282 which is very good. He has gotten many key and clutch hits throughout the year. He has also been a pretty consistent player offensively and defensively. I am sure that a financial deal can be made which would be good for both parties. Rosario is an idea player in the batting order between Kwan and Ramirez. With Straw and both catchers who are hitting around 220…having someone who is 282 is a good fit for the Guardians on and off the field.
**Another good reason is that Jose’ requested that Rosario stay on the team. I feel that Rosario is an asset to the Guardians
I agree with everything you said except for using batting average as the main statistical argument lol
But yes, I agree otherwise. He’s a solid player and he fits in well with the roster, both from a talent perspective and a timeline perspective. I’m sure there’s a deal to be made that benefits everyone.