Cleveland Sports Forum

Catcher Mike Zunino to the Guards. Assuming he is healthy nice pickup.

Mike Zunino agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Guardians on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS

Zunino underwent thoracic outlet surgery in July but expects to be ready to go for the start of spring training. His veteran presence will allow the Guardians to ease youngster Bo Naylor into things behind the plate.

Zunino really struggled in 2022 before getting injured but slugged 33 home runs in 2021. He also has a superb defensive reputation.

Mission accomplished, apparently. If he can play

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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2h

Zunino 1-year deal allows for Cleveland to break in (C) prospect Bo Naylor slowly along as Zunino is 100% healthy. Naylor doesn't turn 23 until 2/21/23. Not sold the Guardians still won't sign or look to trade for some more upper level catching depth.

sounds likely from what I've read too that Bo starts in Columbus. Someone cheap to add to the big league roster as backup assuming Zunino is healthy enough to play at all.

I'd actually love for them to sign Hedges back as the backup veteran if Bo is going to AAA.

Hedges is the perfect backup - just not as your #1 starter.

I agree or Perez.

Ernie Clement
Designated for assignment
2BOakland Athletics
December 13, 2022
Clement was designated for assignment by the Athletics, the team announced Tuesday.

ANALYSIS
The club needed to clear spots on the 40-man roster for Aledmys Diaz and Jace Peterson. Clement was a waiver claim by the A's in September and will now go through that process again.

Watched an interview with Antonetti.

You can be quite sure he will be starting the season in AAA. He didn't quite come out and say that but might as well have.

That's what I heard from him too.
He didn't say anything about pitching upgrades but then again he wasn't asked

Starting to realize that other than a couple (that Guardians want to keep) that other teams do not think highly of their infield prospects.

or outfield prospects.

Pitching is their only bargaining chip

Where are the trades?

For the past several years, there's been among those complaining that too many teams are rebuilding, damaging the competitive integrity of the sport. Well, we finally can report a measure of progress on that front. Three heads of baseball operations in recent days attributed the slow trade market to the number of clubs shunning veteran-for-prospect deals as they try to build rosters capable of contention.

“That’s the biggest dynamic in play,” one executive said. “We can’t use our prospects to go get players. With a couple of teams we could, but it’s not enough. You need enough teams that have major-league players. That is definitely hanging things up, definitely.”

What confirms the opinion that no one is interested in Valera or Rocchio or Martinez? Because we didn't trade them? Perhaps I missed something
Freeman and Arias are less exciting I'm sure.

Valera was not part of the opinion. (outfielder)

Good possibility that Rocchio is considered their #1 infield prospect.