Processing another fan favorite trade
Andres Gimenez has been traded, as was Carlos Carrasco before him.
I have been reflecting on Gimenez being unexpectedly dealt to Toronto this week, and I have some thoughts to share for Guardians’ fans. First, I want to make it clear that, objectively, I like the trade. I am very surprised that the Guardians managed to turn Gimenez into a starting pitcher whom I think has clear #2 upside and should at least be able to eat innings competently in 2025, two intriguing pitching prospects in the top 20 of a good Pirates’ system, and a low-A outfielder who has at least some level of potential, having put up a 129 wRC+ as a 20 year-old last season. I think Gimenez’s contract wasn’t at all underwater, but there was certainly risk that with another 83 wRC+ it would be and, if he was only a 90-100 wRC+, it was probably too expensive for the budget the Guardians’ front office is given by ownership to work with. Props to Chris Antonetti and company for recognizing that the Jays and Pirates couldn’t get a Horwitz deal done, stepping in to help the Blue Jays do another Matt Chapman-type deal, and getting a fascinating 25 year-old starter with four years of cheap team control plus the aforementioned prospects, while saving the $95 million or so they owed Gimenez for other purposes.
With that said, emotionally, I am very sad to not have Gimenez playing for my favorite baseball team anymore. Sure, it’s not fun to see him chase and to never really hit balls hard. But, his defense at second base was so superlative that I barely noticed his bat. He was the a top three defender in baseball over the past three years and only 26 years old. But, he also clearly loved Cleveland and its fans, as he was perpetually the team’s choice to do fan events, he ran art contests for kids, he kissed the CLE on his jersey after a big home run against his former team, and he reveled in wrecking the hopes and dreams of the primary Central Division rival Minnesota Twins over and over again. Plus, his smile was adorable and no one ever had a bad word to say about an interaction with him. Players like that are difficult to find and it’s not hard to see why Cleveland extended him in the first place.
One of my many other interests outside of baseball is the TV show Doctor Who, which has been running on TV since the Kennedy administration. It’s a SciFi show, but it’s more than that, as there are elements of drama, comedy and fantasy. One of the genius things about the show is that when the actor who played the role of the titular Doctor had aged too much to play the role, the writers came up with the twist that when the Doctor dies, for whatever reason, he is able to regenerate into a new body, with a new face, allowing new actors to play the character without the audience saying “He/She doesn’t even look/sound/act like the Doctor!”
You don’t have to know anything about the show except this one regeneration aspect to understand my point here, so hang with me in case the phrase “British SciFi” makes you break out in hives. What is truly remarkable about Doctor Who is the strength of the character of the Doctor which has allowed a long succession of actors and actresses to play the Doctor with noted aplomb. Every time I think I love a particular version of the Doctor the most, the next one comes along and steals my heart. My favorite Doctor is probably still the second version, Patrick Troughton, but Doctors number 10 (David Tennant), 11 (Matt Smith), and 12 (Peter Capaldi) and the War Doctor (John Hurt) all have days where they are my favorites. I was sad when each left the show, and struggled to adjust to the idea of new Doctors, but, every time, I have learned to love again and appreciate the way the character and show grows and develops with each actor’s touch.
I’d like to suggest that Guardians fans should become familiar with Doctor Who in order to process the experience of rooting for this Cleveland franchise. The beauty of the game of baseball and the experience of rooting for the perpetual plucky underdog here in Cleveland is going to stay the same as long as they exist on the shores of Lake Erie (hopefully until the sun burns out!). But, we need to adjust ourselves to the concept that every year, we may be asked to fall in love with a new character occupying any given role on the team. If we are asked to root for Juan Brito in 2025, we won’t be able to ooo and ahh at Platinum Glove plays, but we will be able to enjoy seeing him lay off of breaking balls on the outside corner on a consistent basis and pound pitches inside into the short porch by the Corner Bar. Folks, he doesn’t have the speed or the glove, but there is a LOT of Jose Ramirez’s game to Brito in other ways. He signed with the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic at 17 years old, and, while the stories aren’t out there yet, I can’t wait to hear about all he has overcome to get this far and see if he can prove the Guardians’ front office’s excellence by being a much better player here than Nolan Jones is in Colorado.
I can fall in love with Juan Brito as our second baseman. I can also fall in love easily with Travis Bazzana and then Juan Brito as our first baseman/right fielder, if need be. The player I have most wanted the Guardians to extend in my life is here for the vast majority of his career, in Jose Ramirez. But, someday, he will no longer be here and maybe a player who hasn’t even been drafted or signed will take his role at third base. You know what? I’ll be ready to fall in love with that new casting decision, too. Because I am excited to see how this story develops and see if any of these new heroes can help bring our narrative to the happy ending it’s been seeking for 76 years, now. But, even if they do, the story will only keep going from there, with new twists and turns, heroes and villains, and players who come and go.
I never shame anyone for being sad because a favorite player leaves the team. Criticism of the Dolan family’s lack of investment in the team is always valid. But, I’d like to suggest the healthiest way to go forward as a Guardians’ fan is to think of every player as a temporary occupant of a beloved role in a treasured story that will outlast their part in it. Cleveland fans this week are mourning Rocky Colavito, whose trade was a sucker punch to every Indians’ backer in his day. We should have learned the lesson then, but we’re still learning it anew today. Don’t expect business people to not make business decisions, whether they are good or bad.
Focus on the game and the talented individuals who bring it to life before our eyes and you will be happier, healthier and better able to navigate the unexpected recastings ahead of us all. I can’t wait to see the new Second Baseman Doctor descend in his TARDIS and thrill us all with the particular talents and quirks that will make us fall in love with him just as we did with Andres Gimenez.
