5 Prospects The Guardians Should Target At The Trade Deadline

There are plenty of interesting prospects if the Guardians decide to sell

OF Josue De Paula-

De Paula is one of the most exciting hitters in all of minor league baseball. At just 20 years of age, he already has a very mature approach at the plate and a beautiful swing. It is incredibly rare to see 19/20 year old kids with this kind of polish. Between his combination of hit tool, raw power, and plate discipline, he has zero holes in his offensive profile. He is slashing .276/.421/.460 with a WRC+ of 151 and more walks than strikeouts this season. This would be an absolute dream target for the Guardians in a potential Emmanuel Clase trade. The fact that the Dodgers still have not yet promoted him to AA makes me wonder if he might be available in the right trade this deadline.

OF Zyhir Hope-

The second Dodgers OF prospect on this list, Hope has flown up prospects lists in the last 6 months after his performances in the Arizona Fall League and now High-A this season. Hope is slashing .286/.396/.456 with a 140 WRC+ as a 20 year old in High-A. With Hope, you aren’t getting quite the polished profile that you are with his teammate De Paula, but there is potential for more upside. Where the hit tool is lacking, he makes up for it with elite raw power, and well above average speed. As he matures, if he can clean up his hit tool a bit, we could easily be looking at a perennial All-Star and maybe more.

OF Owen Caissie-

Caissie is not in the same tier as the other prospects on this list, but he is definitely the one that is most available, as he is completely blocked in Chicago. The 6’4 220 pound RF has massive power, but with that comes a lot of strikeouts. He has done nothing but mash his entire minor league career despite always being young for the level. This season he is slashing .263/.372/.504 with a 126 WRC+ as a 22 year old in AAA. He isn’t a great defender in RF but moves well enough for his size to go along with a great arm which should make him around league average out there. Caissie could make sense in a potential Clase trade, but it would take more than just him.

SS Jordan Lawlar-

It feels like Jordan Lawlar has been on top prospect lists forever now, and while some of the shine has definitely worn off, he is still a really good prospect. He is slashing .319/.410/.583 in AA this season, and while his offensive profile leads a bit to be desired, he makes up for it with elite speed and plus defense at a premium position. He has plus raw power and good contact rates overall, but he just hasn’t been able to translate to MLB pitching. It’s also worth noting that he hasn’t really been given a real opportunity to succeed there either, just 56 total combined plate appearances between 2023 and 2025, and they were not consistent at bats. The reason he may be available in the right trade is because he is blocked in Arizona by Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte. He could slot into 3B next season with Eugenio Suarez becoming a free agent, but that doesn’t seem like a great fit for him.

SS Arjun Nimmala-

This is one that I haven’t seen talked about much, but with the Blue Jays recent surge, it makes sense. Nimmala is only 19 years old, and is not all that close to debuting, and the Blue Jays front office is absolutely trying to save their jobs after their disappointing 2024 campaign. Nimmala is slashing .258/.343/.462 with a 117 WRC+ as a 19 year old in High-A this season. He has made massive strides this season in the contact department, cutting his strikeout rate from over 30% in 2024 to now just 20.2% against much better pitching. Nimmala is definitely the riskiest prospect on this list, but there is potential there for a franchise SS that hits 25-30 Home Runs and plays plus defense.