In July, the Guardians lost Emmanuel Clase off their roster in a way that no one expected. While Clase leaving the Guardians roster was in the realm of possibility thanks to his name being front and center in trade talks.
But instead the Guardians ended up losing Clase for nothing when he was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as a part of an investigation into sports betting.
That leave hurt the Guardians twofold. First, it removed him from the roster, meaning the Guardians didn’t get to take advantage of his all-world skillset. But it also meant that the team’s front office never got a chance to capitalize on that skillset in the trade market — a loss that felt more acute after the Giants got three prospects in exchange for Tyler Rogers.