Cleveland Guardians: Civale Deal Makes Splash Before Trade Deadline

With a little over 24 hours remaining before Major League Baseball's 6:00 PM August 1st trade deadline, the Cleveland Guardians make a splash move. Just a few days removed from sending Amed Rosario to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard, the Guardians sent right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for first base prospect Kyle Manzardo, per the Tampa Bay Times Marc Topkin. On the surface, this represents a bizarre trade for the Guardians who were just a half-game out of the division lead entering play Monday night, but digging a little deeper there are potential long-term benefits for Cleveland. For now, let's look at what each side is getting.[embed]https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/1686097231290478592?s=20[/embed]Civale, 28, is 5-2 in 13 starts on the season with a 2.34 ERA in 77 innings. He just wrapped up arguably the best month of his professional career, going 3-0 in six starts with a 1.45 ERA across 37.1 innings in July. The Rays add Civale to a rotation decimated by injury and desperate to regain the lead in the AL East after the upstart Orioles dethroned them after the All-Star Break. With 2.5 years of team control remaining, and a strong seller's market, the Rays bet on Civale being crucial to their World Series hopes despite his health history (career highs of 21 starts and 124.1 innings pitched in 2021, and an IL stint already in 2023), and they coughed up a return that may just be worth it.Manzardo, 23, is one of the best first base prospects in baseball and the number-31 prospect overall according to FanGraphs (number-37 according to MLB Pipeline). He feasted on the minor leagues in 2022, riding a .327/.426/.617 batting line split between High and Double-A to a promotion to Triple-A to start his second pro season. On the surface his .238/.342/.442 line in 73 games with the Durham Bulls this season may seem like a regression, but the batted ball luck has not been in his favor (.269 BABIP) despite his contact numbers appearing strong.[embed]https://twitter.com/BillyHeyen/status/1686098670872150016?s=20[/embed]Manzardo's bat is his best tool, grading anywhere from 55-70 on the 20/80 scale depending on where you look. He shows the aptitude to hit for average, and above-average power, though his swing may be more geared towards a doubles machine, he has respectable pop (35 home runs in 179 professional games) and a little extra room to grow into his 6-foot, 205-pound frame. Manzardo also displays excellent zone control, having notched almost as many walks (105) as strikeouts (136) across all Minor League levels, and featuring an 87.8% Z-Con% so far in 2023. He's a solid defender at first base and likely won't move off the position.He's dealing with a sore shoulder, but the expectation is Manzardo will return to action shortly after joining up with Triple-A Columbus. His acquisition likely signals the countdown starting on Josh Bell's time remaining as a Guardian, but Manzardo is a bat the Guardians have been missing in the upper minors at the second largest position of need. Despite many wanting an outfielder, this was not an offer the Guardians could pass up.