Take yourself back to the 2023 trade deadline. Lance Lynn ended up going to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Justin Verlander reunited with the Astros. Max Scherzer became a Texas Ranger.
And, in a trade that didn’t garner a ton of headlines, the Guardians traded Aaron Civale to the Rays in exchange for then-prospect Kyle Manzardo.
At the time, the trade went over so poorly in the Guardians’ clubhouse that Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff had to travel to Houston to mend relationships with the team after the trade.
But, like seemingly everything in life, the resulting payoff has been worth it thanks to some strong play from Manzardo.