The Guardians continued to make roster moves on Friday evening, as they swapped relievers with the San Diego Padres in a one-for-one fashion. Scott Barlow to the Guardians in exchange for Enyel De Los Santos.
Guardians President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, said on Saturday morning that the decision to get Barlow was due in large to his experience in late-game situations. Antonetti stated, "it gives us another option on the days when Emmanuel [Clase] isn't available or maybe a little bit fatigued. We have another option to go to back there."
Antonetti would go on to say that without the trade of Cal Quantrill, the finances to add Scott Barlow's contract (which is expected to be in the $7M range) may not have been there.
When asked about adding another guy to the starting rotation, Antonetti spoke highly of the guys who remain in the clubhouse.
"We feel really good about the quality of the group we have. If everyone stays healthy and can make 30-plus starts, I think we feel really good about where we'll be at the end of the year, but we also appreciate that things don't always go as planned."
The team signed Ramon Laureano to a one-year deal to keep him on the roster. The President of Baseball Operations described the outfielder as "a piece of the puzzle" and cited his power and defensive ability as things that made him impactful in the future.
Laureano tallied 14 extra-base hits in his 136 at-bats and played 325 innings in the outfield after being claimed off waivers by the Guardians in early August.
The team continues to interview candidates for the three vacant coaching jobs and is not ready to announce anything there just yet.