The Guardians decided to invest in Straw at the start of the 2022 season, which was about six months after obtaining him from the Houston Astros. Straw had a solid performance when he first joined Cleveland, with a batting average of .285 and an OPS+ of 105 in 60 games to end the 2021 season. However, his statistics have declined in the past two seasons, with an OPS+ of 67 and a lower on-base percentage of 29.6%.
The Guardians of Cleveland have put Myles Straw, their main center fielder for the last two and a half years, on waivers on Friday, as reported by Zack Meisel of The Athletic. It is not expected that another team will claim Straw, as he still has over million left on his contract extension that he agreed to with the Guardians in April 2022.
According to sources, Straw (age 29) will pass through waivers and be sent down to the minor leagues instead. If a player has been in the league for more than five years, they can refuse to be sent down and become a free agent. However, this does not apply to Straw, who was first mentioned by MLB Trade Rumors as falling just short of the five-year mark.Straw remains an outstanding defensive outfielder — he won a Gold Glove Award in 2022, and he ranked in the 89th percentile in Outs Above Average in 2023 — but the Guardians clearly want more offensive production from the center-field position. What exactly that entails for the Guardians is to be seen.
Currently, the top choices for center field for Cleveland are Tyler Freeman, a former infielder, and Estevan Florial, a former prospect of the New York Yankees. So far in spring training, Freeman has performed better with a .286 batting average, .355 on-base percentage, and .429 slugging percentage as of Saturday. (Florial’s stats are .150/.209/.175.) The Guardians have praised Freeman’s ability to transition to center field and may consider him the top contender for the starting position.
According to top baseball executive Chris Antonetti, Tyler has successfully transitioned into a highly skilled center fielder and overall outfielder. We see him as a strong and viable option for both the infield and outfield positions.
The Guardians’ first game of the season is scheduled for March 28th against the Oakland Athletics.
