The Cleveland Guardians should explore trading for the San Francisco Giants' Casey Schmitt.
As the trade deadline nears, the Cleveland Guardians still need to address their lineup and add more offense.
There are multiple avenues for doing that before August 3, but there is one player in particular who could be a perfect trade target for Cleveland: San Francisco Giants utility man Casey Schmitt.
Looking at the offense side of things, Schmitt has been a consistently solid player ever since he made his big-league debut in 2023, posting a .720 OPS since the 2024 season.
The 2026 campaign has easily been Schmitt's best season yet, logging a .272/.303/.489 slash line with already 21 home runs and 17 doubles. Schmitt may not walk and has a tendency to chase outside the zone, but the production still speaks for itself.
Plus, Schmitt's .792 OPS this season would rank second on the Guardians (qualified players), only trailing Chase DeLauter's .801 OPS.
Clearly, adding Schmitt would be an upgrade for the Guardians.
It's not just the numbers that make Schmitt a perfect trade candidate for Cleveland; stylistically, he fits with the Guardians, too.
Schmitt is a right-handed hitter, and Cleveland desperately needs to add more balance to their lineup. If the Guardians were able to pull off a trade for the 27-year-old, there's an argument to be made for him hitting cleanup in Cleveland's order right away.
The Guardians have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, yet Schmitt owns a .320/.337/.500 slash line against southpaws all by himself. At the very least,
With Cleveland's current roster makeup, part of the logistics of making any trade is determining where they'd play in the field.
With Schmitt, that wouldn't be an issue. Throughout his career, he's been a versatile player, appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, first base, and left field since debuting.
A potential role with the Guardians would be first base and right field, but manager Stephen Vogt loves versatility in a lineup.
It's also important to note that the Giants and Guardians have already made one trade this season, with Cleveland acquiring catcher Patrick Bailey back in May. Pre-existing relationships between front offices are important this time of year, and there is already one between the two teams.
It still remains to be seen what the Guardians will do at the deadline. Chris Antonetti insisted the team will try to improve, and trading for Schmitt is an avenue to do just that.
