Guardians trade proposal lands $80 million Braves star for two prospects

Can the Cleveland Guardians make another run to the American League Championship Series?

At 34-30, the Guardians are in third place in the AL Central and sit one-half game back of a Wild Card spot. They are tired for 16th in the Majors with 4.20 runs allowed per game, but a middling offense producing a 24th-best 3.91 runs per game needs support.

Jeff Passan had this to say on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight:”

“It would be interesting to see Marcell Ozuna, like, in the middle of [the lineup], and I'm just pulling a team out of the air, the Detroit Tigers," Passan said. "Drop an established hitter like that into that group, or Cleveland.”

Should Cleveland seek Ozuna’s talents, here is what a potential deal could look like:

Guardians receive: DH Marcell Ozuna

Braves receive: RHP Slade Cecconi, RHP Andrew Walters (No. 11)

At face value, Cleveland would likely immediately accept this deal. Ozuna is a proven power hitter who finished fourth in NL MVP voting last season and is putting together another strong campaign with a .257 batting average, an .827 OPS, a 134 OPS+, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 50 walks to 62 strikeouts.

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However, at 34 years old and in the final year of his deal, Ozuna is not without risk. Atlanta could punt on this disappointing season, which has resulted in a 27-37 start and a fourth-place standing in the NL East.

Pitching is a concern for the Braves, and adding a promising 26-year-old in Cecconi (4.87 ERA, 6.12 FIP, 27.3% whiff rate) along with an MLB-ready reliever in Walters could help reconfigure its complicated timeline.

Ozuna would slot in nicely on this Guardians lineup that is devoid of slugging outside of José Ramirez (.947 OPS, 165 OPS+, 12 home runs) and Kyle Manzardo (.725 OPS, 102 OPS+, 11 home runs). 

Steven Kwan (.314 batting average, .807 OPS, 128 OPS+) is still a fantastic leadoff guy, however, they need someone of Ozuna’s stature in the heart of the order to make another deep October run. Cecconi and Walters are interesting pieces, but worthy sacrifices for immediate results.