5 things to know about Cleveland Guardians trade acquisition, 1B prospect Kyle Manzardo

The Cleveland Guardians swung another trade Monday, a day before the MLB trade deadline date of Aug. 1.

This time, instead of trading a position player (Amed Rosario) for a pitcher (Noah Syndergaard) as they did last week, the Guardians traded a pitcher (Aaron Civale) for a position player (Kyle Manzardo) in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.

On its face, this trade seems an odd one for Cleveland.

The Guardians have been leaning heavily on rookie starting pitchers like Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams as injuries crept into the rotation — the most recent of which sidelining the ever-reliable starter Shane Bieber with elbow inflammation, leading to a 60-day IL stint.

With so much volatility in the starting rotation, and Bieber appearing to be out until at least September (if he comes back this season at all), it made sense for the Guardians to continue targeting pitching in a trade.

Of course, that being said, the Guardians' offense needs a jolt, too.

At the time of writing, Cleveland has pushed across 441 runs. That puts them 12th in the American League — ahead of only AL doormats in the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and lowly Oakland A's. The Guardians have done a solid job preventing runs (435 allowed, third in the AL), but have struggled to win games with consistency because they're not scoring enough runs.

Guardians trade deadline: Breaking down what the Amed Rosario-Noah Syndergaard trade means for the Guardians

The addition of Kyle Manzardo likely won't provide an immediate impact in the Major League batting lineup, because Manzardo just turned 23 this July and has played the entire 2023 season at AAA. While he could be seen in MLB earlier, he's projected to make it to The Show in 2024.

He is, however, a promising prospect with good pop in his bat. Here's what to know about the youngster the Rays gave up to land Civale.

Kyle Manzardo is a former 2nd round draft pick

Manzardo was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round of MLB’s 2021 June Amateur Draft out of Washington State University. He was taken with the 63rd overall pick.

Needless to say, MLB scouts felt he possessed a high ceiling as an offensive talent to be off the draft board that quickly.

Kyle Manzardo was the No. 4 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization, per MLB.com

According to MLB.com's prospect rankings, Manzardo was the No. 4 prospect in Tampa's minor league system. He trailed only infielders Junior Caminero, Carson Williams and Curtis Mead, per MLB.com’s analysis. If Caminero's name rings a bell, he was once a Cleveland prospect.

Provided the Rays' system has garnered a reputation in recent years for churning out MLB talent with alarming consistency, there are worse organizations to pick up a prospect from.

MLB's analysis tabbed Manzardo as a left-handed slugger who "can be a hitting coach's dream."

The 6-foot, 205-pound first baseman is already far along in his minor league development, so the Guardians might only need to provide fine-tuning before he's ready for The Show.

Kyle Manzardo was named the Rays' minor league baseball player of the year after 2022 season

Even though a top-five prospect ranking is nothing to scoff at, Manzardo might have had a case to be even higher on MLB.com's ranking, provided he won Tampa Bay's minor league player of the year award for the 2022 campaign.

That, at least in part, led to yet another career accolade...

Kyle Manzardo was selected for the 2023 MLB Futures Game in Seattle

Manzardo represented the Rays and the American League in this year's All-Star Futures Game, which was held in Seattle. The former Washington State Cougar got the nod to represent for the game's best young talents in the state where he put his talents on display in college.

At least directionally speaking, the Futures Game during MLB's All-Star break gives fans a glimpse at the next batch of young talents chomping at the bit to reach the Major Leagues.

Manzardo did not get to play, however, as the American League prospects lost to the National League prospects, 5-0.

Kyle Manzardo was a 3-year starter at Washington State University

During his time in college with the Cougars, Manzardo was a starter for three years. That consistency allowed him to build a national profile that ultimately got him drafted in the second round by Tampa.

Manzardo had a breakout during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at WSU, slashing a ridiculous .436/.500/.694 with a 1.194 OPS and 10 extra-base hits in 16 games played.

He continued that hot streak for the Cougars in 2021 by slashing .366/.437/.640 for another OPS over 1.000 to go along with 19 doubles and 11 home runs through 47 games.

He was also the first WSU baseball player since Aaron Sele in 1990 to earn First-Team accolades when he was recognized for the Cougars. Manzardo was the first position player to earn that recognition since MLB great John Olerud got a First-Team nod in 1988.

The youngster can clearly hit, but fans will want to see it at the Big League level before judging whether this trade was a win for Cleveland.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 5 things to know about Guardians' trade acquisition Kyle Manzardo