MLB Rumors: Guardians Linked To 3 Trade Candidates

November 20, 2025 , , ,
Washington Nationals infielder CJ Abrams celebrates during 2025 game.

The Cleveland Guardians are expected to keep popping up in trade chatter this winter, and three names have been linked to them: CJ Abrams, Alec Bohm and Brendan Donovan. 

The Guardians look ready to make at least one real swing on the trade market instead of just nibbling around the edges. All three of Abrams, Bohm and Donovan check different boxes for this roster. 

CJ Abrams

On paper, CJ Abrams looks like the least typical Guardians target. Most of his value comes from his bat, not his glove, and Cleveland usually leans hard in the other direction. 

Since being shipped from the San Diego Padres to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto blockbuster, Abrams has flashed star tools, posting 18-plus homers and 60-plus RBI in each of his three full seasons in Washington and even earning an All-Star nod in 2024.

The problem is that the whole package has not always been smooth. Abrams has had stretches of inconsistent at-bats and some maturity questions, including a late-season demotion after an all-nighter at a casino in 2024. Defensively, the numbers are rough. He has piled up throwing errors at shortstop and finished 2025 near the bottom of the league in advanced defensive metrics. 

For a Guardians team that prides itself on run prevention, leaving him at short would be asking for trouble.

Where the fit becomes interesting is in center field. Cleveland’s center fielders were among the least productive groups in baseball last year, both at the plate and in the field. Moving Abrams to the outfield would be a gamble, but the Guardians have already experimented with a similar conversion with Angel Martínez. 

The short-term defense might not be pretty, yet the payoff could be huge if Abrams’ power and speed translate while he learns the position.

Alec Bohm

If Abrams is the upside swing, Alec Bohm is the steady, almost boringly logical move. 

The Philadelphia Phillies third baseman has been living in the rumor mill for years, and those whispers are back again after another postseason disappointment in Philly and chatter that the club could chase a bigger name at third, like Alex Bregman or Munetaka Murakami.

Bohm’s numbers dipped from his 2024 All-Star breakout, when he drove in 97 runs, but he still managed a league-average line in 2025 thanks to a strong on-base percentage. He has shown he can handle both corner infield spots, logging regular time at first base earlier in his career, which would give Cleveland some flexibility. 

For a Guardians team that has cycled through short-term stopgaps at first and third, having a reliable everyday bat who puts the ball in play and gets on base would be a serious upgrade.

Bohm has just one year of team control remaining through arbitration, which should keep his acquisition price more reasonable than a long-control star. The Phillies might be willing to move him to pivot into their next core piece at third, while Cleveland could treat Bohm as both an immediate upgrade and a bridge.

Brendan Donovan

Of the three names, Brendan Donovan might be the perfect match for the Guardians and the one they seem most consistently tied to. 

The St. Louis Cardinals utility man has already been labeled a “perfect” fit for Cleveland by multiple insiders, and recent reporting has the Guardians and Kansas City Royals among the clubs seriously interested. 

With Chaim Bloom overseeing a Cardinals retool and a logjam of left-handed bats in St. Louis, Donovan looks like one of their most logical trade chips.

On the field, everything about Donovan screams Guardians. He owns a career batting average in the high-.270s to low-.280s, walks at a healthy clip and rarely strikes out. He can handle second base and both corner outfield spots, and he has experience all around the infield. 

For a Cleveland team that got underwhelming production from second base and the outfield in 2025, that kind of flexibility is gold. Donovan fits perfectly as a glue piece who can slide wherever needed while prospects like Bazzana, DeLauter and George Valera find their footing in the majors.

Photo Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

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