CLEVELAND, Ohio — In the world of baseball trades, vindication often comes in unexpected moments. On Sunday, that moment arrived in spectacular fashion when Kyle Manzardo launched a three-run homer off Aaron Civale – the very pitcher he was traded for in 2023 – providing both a game-changing hit and the ultimate “Told you so” for Cleveland’s front office.
The scene couldn’t have been scripted better. Just a day earlier, the two trade counterparts had a friendly introduction, shaking hands during batting practice in a rare meeting of players directly swapped for one another.
Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes witnessed the exchange: “We’re standing around just after talking to Stephen Vogt in the dugout and Civale comes over, says hello to some friends and former teammates… and then he goes, ‘I’m going to go over and introduce myself to Manzardo.’”
That cordial meeting gave way to Sunday’s showdown, where baseball poetry unfolded in the sixth inning. After Civale had dominated through five frames and retired Manzardo twice, everything changed on one pitch.
“The first two confrontations go to Civale. He gets him out on fly ball to center, strikes him out… And then everything changed in the sixth inning. A first pitch home run,” Hoynes recounted on the podcast. “It was pretty much of a game changer. It ended Civale’s afternoon… and Manzardo crushed it.”
The significance wasn’t lost on anyone in Cleveland’s dugout. Immediately after the ball cleared the fence, someone shouted what everyone was thinking: “We won the trade!”
This wasn’t just any home run – it was Manzardo’s 14th of the season and remarkably his sixth first-pitch homer, showing his aggressive approach at the plate. The blast transformed what had been a pitcher’s duel into a statement game for both Manzardo and Cleveland’s player development system.
For Cleveland fans, this moment represents more than just one dramatic at-bat. It validates the organization’s willingness to trade established pitching for offensive potential – a gamble that appeared to pay massive dividends in that single swing.
The trade, completed at the 2023 deadline, sent Civale to Tampa Bay for the then-prospect Manzardo. While Civale had been a reliable rotation piece during Cleveland’s recent run of contending years, the organization’s need for offensive firepower ultimately drove the decision.
With one dramatic swing, Manzardo didn’t just change Sunday’s game – he confirmed that Cleveland’s front office had made the right call, turning a pitcher entering his 30s into a potential cornerstone slugger who’s just beginning his major league journey.
For those who missed this perfect baseball moment, the entire dramatic showdown can be heard in detail on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, where Hoynes and Noga break down this and other key moments from the Guardians’ final series before the All-Star break.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe no Good, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie. The Guardians win six out of seven games on their final road trip before the All Star break. After losing 10 straight, they go on the road. They sweep Houston. They take three out of four, including splitting a doubleheader against the White Sox in Chicago. Just what does that mean for the momentum for this team heading into the All Star break now as they sort of scatter to the four corners of the earth and Stephen Kwan heads to Atlanta with Jose Ramirez opting out of the All Star game? Just, you know, where are the Guardians right now? What do we think about this team? As you know, they close basically on an up note after that, you know, really rough stretch of 10 games before that.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, yeah, Joe, it means we don’t know anything about this team yet. You know, with the trade deadline approaching, they are 46 and 49 in the break. That’s compared to 58 and 37 last year when they went into the All Star break, and we’re headed toward the AL Central title. Today, they are, you know, 12 out in the division, four and a half out in a wild card with 5G, you know, for five teams in front of them, the third and final wild card spot. So, Joe, it’s still a coin flip. You know, it all depends what this front office feels. Are they close? Do they have a shot at the wild card? Or is it time to kind of gather their resources and try to improve for next year by trading some players, Trading some veteran guys?
Joe Noga: Yeah. And I think either direction that they go, if they. If they go all in and try and, you know, make the postseason, try to pass those. The five teams ahead of them and in the wild card race, I think that’s. That offers something to watch and something to be excited about if they decide to go in the other direction and start calling up young players who are available for them to sort of get a look at and add to their roster. I think that’s an exciting time, too. But, you know, obviously we want to see them, you know, compete for a postseason berth. We’ve talked in the past about are they going to be buyers, are they going to be sellers as that trade deadline approaches? What did you find out about the availability of some of their more. More value, their more valuable trade assets if, if the. If that comes to pass?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And talking to a couple sources, Joe. One, you know, from. From, you know, around Major League Baseball, from, you know, some contending teams right now, the Guardians Are telling these, you know, the phone calls that are, they’re getting the team, the teams that are inquiring about Emanuel, Class A and Cade Smith, that those guys are not for sale, that they’re not going to trade them, that they want to keep those pieces. Well, and, you know, the, the sources I talked to, you know, they said they’re pretty firm about that. You know, that’s coming from, you know, the, the, the, the. Obviously the, the, the guys, the decision makers in Cleveland’s front office. But, you know, we all know that can change, and we all know that, that what Chris, Chris Antonetti told us, you know, the last 48 hours of the trade with, with the deadline at approaching at July 1, you know, the closer that gets, the more deals get made, the pressure of the deadline, you know, creates deals, creates, you know, needs. And teams are willing to go. Teams are more willing to go all in if they, if they feel they have a chance to get to the postseason. So we’ll have to see. But right now, you know, Class A and Cade Smith are, you know, are not going anywhere. And I could see, you know, I understand why Cade Smith, you know, they say hands off Cade Smith, young guy, closer in waiting, you know, power arm. I say, you know, it’s closer to, you know, he’s got one year, one guaranteed year left at like 6 million, then two club options. So, you know, he’s, he’s kind of sitting there, but, you know, he’s still a great deal. You know, we saw him pitch two innings yesterday against the White Sox for the win, just the third time he’s done that, as in Guardians. He’s. He’s very much at the top of his game. Right?
Joe Noga: Yeah. And, you know, I’ve said on the podcast in the past, you know, before, I think those last two $10 million option years for Emmanuel Clase, another team will be paying those years. I truly believe that the Guardians won’t be picking up the tab on that remaining two years, 10 million each. So, yeah, if it doesn’t happen this year, then this time next year, you’re certainly hearing the Emmanuel Class A trade rumors at full volume, but we’ll wait until then. Anybody else? Any other veterans? You think that that could be in the conversation there? We’ve seen just over the last week, over that last road trip, Carlos Santana come up with some big hits. You know, he could certainly be playing his way right into some sort of trade conversation. If a team has a need at first base, and there are several teams that do, he might not be the, the, the, the number one option for them. But, you know, I could see that happening. Lane Thom, the injured list again, certainly, you know, sort of hamstrings their options for trading him. You know, what are you hearing about other players besides Cade Smith and Emmanuel Classic?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, there’s, there was a lot of interest in Lane Thomas, Joe, but like you said, he’s been on the IL three times. He’s still, you know, doing. He’s not close to being ready. It doesn’t sound like doing some light baseball activities. So I would think, you know, that kind of puts him, you know, kind of on the back burner, so to speak, as a trade option. Carlos Santana. Yes, very much so. But, you know, I don’t think you’re going to get a whole lot back, you know, what are you going to get back for Carlos Santana? 39. He’s 39. He’s, he’s still, you know, very good first baseman. He can give you some pop off the bench, clubhouse guy, but you’re not going to shake the money tree on that one or the talent tree. Weird guy that came up. Joe, this is going to shock you, but I’ve heard that Daniel Schneemann. A couple teams have kicked the tires on Schneemann. Lego, you know, kind of a, you know, valuable, multi, talent, multi position guy. Got a little pop. You know, he’s, he’s, he’s been a solid contributor this year. So, you know, you never know what a team needs until, you know, they start looking around. But, you know, that was a name that kind of stuck in the back of my head.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and, you know, with Schneemann playing mostly in second base, that’s a position on the infield where they have a lot of depth and they certainly have a number one pick, you know, eventually who’s going to be back on the field and playing in games in Travis Bazana, who they need to clear, clear room for. But Schneemann sort of taking up a lot of the innings and a lot of the opportunities right now for that team and doing a nice job. I can see why teams, you know, might, might value what he brings to the table. Let’s jump back and talk about the series finale there in Chicago yesterday. There was a, you know, a pretty unique moment, a pretty significant moment when we talk about deadline trades. Aaron Saval, staple in the Cleveland rotation, you know, a foundation from that 2016 draft that, you know, along with Shane Bieber and Zach Plisak, was thought to be, you know, sort of a one of the, you know, legs of the, the whole rotation there, the, the whole, you know, a big piece. And he was eventually traded away in 2023 in exchange for Kyle Manzardo. Manzano now up and, and being productive with the Guardians in the lineup, hits a three run home run off of Savali in a, in a critical situation in that game. Gives the Guardians the lead yesterday. And immediately our, our friend Zach Meisel tweeted out the Guardians won the trade, you know, even if it was two years later. Just to see that, you know, and, and they were, they were shouting it in the dugout as well. Uh, you know, I heard, uh, I heard a hot mic situation on the, on the broadcast where, uh, you know, somebody said it in the dugout. I mean, it probably was Hedges, I don’t know. But just what’s your take on, on Manzardo vs. Savali and, and the Guardians coming out on top?
Paul Hoynes: That was so cool, Joe. You know, Saturday afternoon, we’re standing around just after talking to Stephen Vogt in the dugout and Savali comes over, you know, says hello to some friends, you know, former teammates. He’s talking to guys and then he goes, I’m going to go over and introduce myself to Manzardo. And so, you know, Manzardo’s just standing there getting ready to hit and you know, he goes over, they shake hands. Our buddy Tim Stebbins from MLB.com took a picture of him. It was, it was so weird. You know, it’s just like two guys that got traded for each other and you don’t see that very often. You know, just, just them talking. And then Sunday they meet, you know, they, they’re, they’re facing each other. The first two, the first two confrontations go to Savala. He gets him out on fly ball, the center strikes him out and strikes him out in the fourth inning. And then everything changed in the sixth inning. A first pitch home run. 14th of the season, second in as many games. And it was pretty much of a game changer, Joe. It ended Savali’s night day and Sevalli had been great through five innings. They hadn’t touched him, but he left, you know, a breaking ball up and, and Manzano crushed it. You know, it was interesting, interesting confrontation. And yeah, you’re right, somebody did shout, we win the trade in the dugout.
Joe Noga: And I believe it was Manzardo’s fourth or fifth or sixth. First pitch, home run.
Paul Hoynes: Six. First pitch, home run.
Joe Noga: 6 out of his 14 home runs have been on the first pitch of an at bat. Pretty, pretty crazy stat. Just, you know, great moment for Kyle Manzardo and you know, one that he’ll remember, I’m sure got. Later on in the game we got to see Stephen Kwan basically put all of his all star skills on display for us. You know, Hoynsey, you know, sometimes we talk about, we talk too much about plays that don’t get made. And in this case it was Stephen Kwan, you know, trying to make a sliding diving catch on a line drive to left field. The ball got past him, you know, eventually the run scored. But later in the game in the 10th inning, pop fly towards the line in, in, in left field and a ball that I don’t think anybody thought Quan was going to be able to get to, he runs it down. It would have been a fair ball had it dropped and you know, he basically saved the game for the Guardians with the, the tying run on second base at the time. He continues to show just that ability to come up with big plays and big moments and this is why not only an all star, but a three time Gold Glover and probably on his way to a fourth.
Paul Hoynes: Oh man, that was a great play, Joe. I mean he ran forever on that ball. He was playing over toward the gap and I believe it was Austin Slater who hit that ball. And the automatic runner is on second base. If that ball falls in, you know, the, the runner scores and probably Slater goes to third, maybe an inside the Parker, I don’t know. But you know, really, you know, you know, Vote said Stephen Vogt said after the game, if he doesn’t make that catch, this is an entirely different game. And the, the other thing that stood out, Joe, like you said, the play in the eighth inning where he made the sliding attempt on Edgar Cuero. You know, the ball got by him for a double. You know, he said, excuse me, you know, Quan said, you know, Quan was saying, you know, that he really, there was some ego involved in that in the catch because he had, he had made the mistake in, in the eighth inning. He said, I really had to catch that ball in the 10th. And he did. And you know, it changed the game. It really, it was a, that’s, that’s one of his, that’s a highlight catch, Joe. That was like the one where he dove into the stands in Seattle where I think you were covering that game. That’s right up there. That’s, that’s a top three catch by Quan.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And you talk about defensive runs saved, that’s clearly a defensive run saved in that instance. But it’s also you know, you know, win probability added. That’s a winning play. That’s a game that change a play that changes a game and. And not just adds value, you know, to his. His playing outfield, but it, like you said, it completely wins the game for his team. So we’ve seen that in a couple of times. We saw him. We saw him do that with a sliding catch and a double play in Houston last year. There are just plays that stand out in Stephen Kwan in left field. This is the reason why he’s not. Not the center fielder for the Guardians, because he’s so good in left field that they can’t move him off of that position. He just brings so much value there. Why mess with what you’ve got? It was the same argument that you had for. For not moving Andres Jimenez over to shortstop when you know that they’re. They’re a natural for those. That position. Quan would be a natural in center field. I just think that they see the value that they have there in him playing in left field and not moving it.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, and then Quan, then in the top of the 10th, he hits the sacrifice fly. That wins the game. So great. A great 10th inning by Quan right there. You know, they. They. You know, after losing that game Friday and Saturday night. No, Friday night, the second game of the doubleheader, you know, that went into 11 innings where they stranded. They loaded the bases in the 10th and the 11th and couldn’t score. You know, Quan gets the job done in the. In the 10th inning on Sunday, and Guardians go home happy.
Joe Noga: Yeah, those. Those big at bats with runners and scoring position finally coming through with a big hit or a big plate appearance, I guess, for Quan with that sacrifice fly, very important. All right, we have an Update on Chase DeLauer. And all of our. Our conversations, you know, lately have been about why. Why isn’t Dilaudor up with the. The Guardians? Why haven’t they made the move to. To call him up and promote him? And all of that was sort of predicated on, well, he’s healthy now and he’s playing, you know, regularly, and he’s showing, you know, what he can do down there. Might not be the case. And I don’t know how long it’s been the case, but apparently Chase the Lauder, not as healthy as we thought he was. What was the update that you got over the weekend? About the Lauder?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, and talking to some people with the Guardians. They said Dilaudor has been playing a couple days ago. They told me he’s been playing injured. He’s been playing with some nagging injuries. They wouldn’t name the injuries, so to speak, but they said, you know, he’s been doing this for a couple of weeks. You know, his, his batting average, his numbers have slid. We’re looking to see how he handles this. You know, we want to see how he handles the grind at Triple A and if he’s ready to handle it at the big league level. They said, we want this guy in the big leagues as much as the fans do, but, you know, and then on Saturday came out that, you know, he was pulled from the lineup on Friday. He didn’t, he didn’t play. I’m sorry. He was pulled from the lineup on Saturday and didn’t play Sunday. And then the guardians released the news that he was playing with a sore right wrist, that he’s been, that he’ll probably be in Cleveland over the break to be evaluated. So, you know, that’s, that’s the update on the Lauder. That’s why he’s not in Cleveland right now as a player.
Joe Noga: Yeah, they said he suffered the bruise during what, batting practice? Something like that.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I didn’t get the reason how he got hurt.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I read that it was, you know, something in batting practice or it wasn’t in a game situation where he got hurt. So again, even more confusion, mystery on that. But for all the people, including podcasters and reporters who have been banging the drum for, for his promotion and in addition to the roster, you know, what are we waiting for here? And now we have a reason and now we have the understanding as to why that hasn’t happened at least within the last, probably could have happened before that and you know, we wouldn’t have been dealing with an injury in batting practice down in the minor leagues. More injury news, more updates. Shane Bieber had a good report and we kind of get him going back to square one now with the, with the, the build up there.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he, you know, had the good three inning bullpen session on Thursday through again Sunday in Cleveland. Then he jumped on a plane. He’s going to Goodyear, Arizona where he’ll throw a two winning simulated game, a game re game and we’ll see how that goes on Tuesday. And after that, Joe, I would imagine he’s coming back here and we’ll start pitching for one of the affiliates in a rehab assignment.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s, you know, exciting to, to see that moving forward now he’s sort of gotten past that, that speed bump we’ll call it, with the, you know, the flare up you know, as he was getting ready to make his double A debut on the rehab start. But, you know, we’ll go back to square one. We’ll. We’ll see him, you know, sort of progress week by week and hopefully get updates there. He’s set for somewhere around 30 to 40 pitches, maybe in Arizona, we expect that maybe, maybe an inning or two, maybe into a third inning. But we’ll. We’ll see how many times he gets up and down there.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he threw 40 pitches Thursday, Joe, 41 pitches Thursday. So I would imagine, yeah, he’s at least at that. At that.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s, you know, eagerly awaiting sort of the next step for Bieber, and we’ll. We’ll see where that ends up. Oinsey, let’s just. We’re at the All Star break. Let’s just get a feel for where this team is and, you know, what things are going on. What really stands out to you as maybe one of the big themes or the big, you know, highlights of the first half of the season? What stands out in your mind?
Paul Hoynes: The thing, the positive I take out of the first half, Joe, is the development of the starting rotation. Really like the way they, you know, they’ve put together a young rotation that’s moving forward. The Luis Ortiz gambling investigation obviously is. Has set that back a little bit. That’s a concern. But I like the way Joey Cantillo has come up and, you know, filled in for him. You’ve got Bieber, you know, maybe, you know, on. On track to, you know, fit into that rotation as well. But the guy that stands out to me, Joe, is, you know, Slate Saccony. Love him. And I mean, he’s. He’s. He’s like. I think he’s made 10 starts, 10, 11 starts for this team, and his last one was probably his best seven scoreless innings against Houston. Just, you know, really young, big, strong guy that looks like he’s only going to get better and fits in well with who. Who do we got?
Joe Noga: We.
Paul Hoynes: We’ve got, you know, Bybee, we’ve got Logan Allen, who’s been dynamite. You know, Gavin Williams has had his moments. You know, just really kind of taking a big step forward here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I think Saccony filling in one of those spots. I think maybe one of those spots was sort of earmarked for a Bieber or, you know, eventually a John Means or something and somebody else to come and take one of those spots. I think Saccony has really laid claim to a future sort of position in this rotation. Just based on his. His last dozen or so outings. It’s. It’s been. It’s been great. All right, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. We’ll be back to talk what the Guardians did on the first day of the draft. And we’ll. We’ll check in with you then, Hoynsi. We’ll get an update here soon.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal, Joe.
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