CINCINNATI — The Cleveland Guardians wrestled back the Ohio Cup from the Cincinnati Reds, but maybe they want more hardware than that.If they do, they might want to swing a trade before the 6 p.m. ET deadline Monday. In case the organization’s decision-makers, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, are out of ideas, you’ve come prepared. You submitted trade proposals you want to see the Guardians make. I took them to the experts for an evaluation.Guardians receive: 2B Luis ArraezGiants receive: SP Braylon Doughty, IF Welbyn Francisca— Peter P.Arraez is the most polarizing player in baseball for front offices to evaluate, but the San Francisco Giants need just one team to decide he’s worth a steep cost as a rental player. His defensive improvement at second base, combined with generational contact skills that figure to be valuable in the context of October baseball, should make the bidding at least competitive. Doughty received an over-slot bonus as the 36th pick in the 2024 draft, and the Guardians’ pitching instincts are typically trustworthy, so the pitching-starved Giants system would be getting a compelling return. — Andrew BaggarlyThe Guardians aren’t going to make Travis Bazzana learn a new position in the middle of his rookie season, so Arraez would have to play first base or serve as the designated hitter, which goes against his wishes. Other teams might want to stick him at second base, where he’s been a revelation this season. I don’t see Cleveland parting with Doughty, its top pitching prospect, plus a 20-year-old infielder, for an out-of-position rental, as much as I’d enjoy watching Arraez hit in front of or behind Steven Kwan and José Ramírez. — MeiselWho says no: GuardiansGuardians receive: SP Logan Webb, OF Heliot RamosGiants receive: SS Angel Genao, OF Juneiker Caceres, PTBNL— Gavin P.If Buster Posey is telling the truth, and his reputation for earnestness rivals that of a teenage George Washington holding an ax, then the Giants aren’t trading Logan Webb. Fun to dream, though. — BaggarlyThe Giants’ Logan Webb, who got the win Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, has made two postseason starts in his career, allowing one run in 14 2/3 innings. (Brandon Vallance / Getty Images)Webb would cement Cleveland’s rotation as one of the league’s best, and he could reconnect with Patrick Bailey, his old batterymate. Ramos is an ideal fit, too. The identity of the PTBNL might be important. — MeiselWho says no: GiantsGuardians receive: OF Heliot RamosGiants receive: C Cooper Ingle, SP Joey Oakie— Jack L.Wait. So you’re telling me the Giants, barely two months after trading the two-time Gold Glove winning catcher (Bailey) to Cleveland, are going to turn around and acquire the top catching prospect in the Guardians’ system? It’s an interesting scenario, and it’s true, the Giants have no real catching fallback plan if Rule 5 rookie Daniel Susac and fast-rising former nonprospect callup Drew Cavanaugh don’t work out. Ramos has three more years of club control, he cleans up against left-handed pitching, and a lot of teams are desperate for right-handed-hitting outfielders. He’s also been an inconsistent defender, and the Giants have the designated hitter spot locked up through the rest of the decade with Bryce Eldridge and Rafael Devers. So trading Ramos makes sense if the return is compelling enough. The Giants might feel a greater need to spin Ramos for pitching, though. Oakie has an encouraging ceiling, but he’s not likely to be a part of what will need to be a major reengineering of the pitching staff next season. — BaggarlyIngle is a logical trade candidate for the Guardians, who don’t seem compelled to let him catch in the majors. Oakie has taken a step back this season and is currently sidelined with an illness, but he’s only 20, and The Athletic’s Keith Law placed him on his Top 100 prospects list in the spring. — MeiselWho says no: GiantsGuardians receive: RP Brooks RaleyMets receive: C Bo Naylor— Larry W.I think we’re in the right neighborhood here, as Naylor is the right level of player for a Raley return. My one question would be his positional fit. The Mets have Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens as their big-league backstops. While Alvarez’s name has hit the rumor mill, I’d still be surprised if the Mets traded him now as a 24-year-old. And so the Mets would have to like Naylor mostly as a third catcher — who, frankly, would get some run given Alvarez’s injury history. My guess is they’d prefer a catcher further away from the majors or a near-ready player at a different position, such as a reliever. — Tim BrittonThe Guardians all but ended the Naylor era in Cleveland when they acquired Bailey in May. Now they’ll likely try to swap him for a lottery-ticket prospect or a mildly useful big leaguer. Raley, obviously, fits the latter description with his 2.09 ERA. Several teams have checked in on Naylor since his demotion. He has three-plus years of control, and another team might think it can fix his bat. — MeiselWho says no: no oneGuardians receive: SS Francisco Lindor, cashMets receive: SS Angel Genao, OF Kahlil Watson, C Cooper Ingle— Corry G.I have to be honest: You’ve got my attention. The Mets are never going to give Lindor away just to get out from the $160 million he’s owed through 2031, and this is the kind of package they have to at least consider. There are two main obstacles. First, that “+ cash” is awfully broad. Are we talking $5 million per year or $10 million per year or even more to make Lindor more affordable for Cleveland? (I suspect the Mets wouldn’t want to go much over $5 million per year, and that the Guardians would want at least $10 million per.)Second, David Stearns and the Mets would have to have a good blueprint to replace Lindor for 2027. Even if they consider Genao their Opening Day shortstop, an offense that has underperformed expectations would have to add significantly elsewhere to make up for a reasonable drop-off there. That’s why I imagine trading Lindor, if it were to happen, would be much easier in the offseason, when it can more realistically be grouped with other moves that complement it. — BrittonI’ll never forget when Lindor first returned to Progressive Field in 2024 and, when asked what he misses most about Cleveland, he replied: “Winning.” If the Guardians knew there would be a salary floor implemented in the new collective bargaining agreement, perhaps they would pursue a deal such as this. Lindor’s metrics remain great, for what it’s worth. As things stand, though, I don’t see it. — MeiselWho says no: GuardiansGuardians receive: OF Byron Buxton, SP Dasan Hill, SP Riley QuickTwins receive: SS Angel Genao, SP Logan Allen, UT David Fry, OF Alfonsin Rosario, C Jacob Cozart, SP Joey Oakie— Craig S.I’m not reading all that. I only needed to see “Buxton” to be able to write this off. In early April, Buxton secured 10-and-5 rights, meaning his limited no-trade clause became a full no-trade once again. He’s stated repeatedly he isn’t going anywhere. If the Twins traded Joe Ryan, Buxton might want out. But the Twins want to be as loyal to Buxton as he’s been to them. That means keeping Buxton happy, which means keeping Ryan and adding on, not trading him and two of their most promising pitching prospects. Even if Buxton isn’t happy, he’s not choosing Cleveland over Atlanta or other select teams. — Dan HayesCraig, this is bad and you should be ashamed. — MeiselWho says no: TwinsGuardians receive: OF Byron BuxtonTwins receive: OF Steven Kwan, 1B Kyle Manzardo, C Cooper Ingle, SP Joey Oakie— Tom S.See answer above. — HayesTom, this is bad and you should be ashamed. — MeiselWho says no: TwinsGuardians receive: RP Adrian MorejonPadres receive: C Cooper Ingle, IF Dean Curley— Peter P.On paper, two players among an organization’s top 10 prospects might be a pretty good return for Morejon, a pending free agent the San Diego Padres probably can’t afford to re-sign. (Look at what Tanner Scott got from the Los Angeles Dodgers two years ago.) But I think A.J. Preller would aim for higher upside. Morejon is getting a lot of interest, including from big-market clubs, and I’ve had some non-Padres scouts rate him as the best lefty reliever in baseball. Preller also has some emotional attachment here. He signed Morejon for $11 million a decade ago, and the 27-year-old’s development has been one of the clear successes for a team with few homegrown players. — Dennis LinOffensive needs aside, the thought of one more high-leverage option would make Stephen Vogt salivate. The Guardians rode deep, dominant bullpens until mid-October in 2022 and 2024. Maybe that could be a formula for 2026, too. — MeiselWho says no: PadresGuardians receive: RP Mason Miller, 1B Ty FrancePadres receive: C Cooper Ingle, OF Juneiker Caceres, SS Angel Genao, OF Kahlil Watson— Cory S.I’m intrigued. A couple of top-100 prospects and a couple of big-league-ready guys — it’s a good start. With France thrown in there and no young starting pitching going back to San Diego, however, it doesn’t strike me as the “overwhelming” return the Padres would require to move Miller only a year after they traded Leo De Vries to acquire him. — LinThe Padres signed France to a minor-league deal in mid-February, less than a week before the Guardians signed Rhys Hoskins to a similar deal. France is enjoying a career year; Hoskins is not. I’m skeptical the Guardians, who have become awfully risk averse in recent years, would part with the haul of prospects necessary to land Miller anyway. — MeiselWho says no: Padres, and maybe both teamsGuardians receive: RP Caleb FergusonReds receive: IF Alex Mooney or OF Nick Mitchell— Scotty H.Our Reds writer, C. Trent Rosecrans, shouted “Yes” before I could even spit out the names of the prospects who could go to Cincinnati. Ferguson is a rental, a left-handed reliever with a 3.65 ERA in his career and a 3.47 ERA this season. The 30-year-old is a Columbus, Ohio, native, so being sent to Cleveland from Cincinnati would be appropriate. He could even stop at Grandpa’s Cheesebarn on his way. — MeiselWho says no: no oneGuardians receive: OF George SpringerBlue Jays receive: IF Welbyn Francisca— Corry G.In 2024, the Jays traded veteran DH Justin Turner to Seattle for a fringe top-30 prospect in the Mariners system. Two years later, they could do a similar deal for another experienced playoff performer in Springer. The value seems fair on this deal, even with Springer’s bat heating up lately. The Jays love high-contact infielders (see Ernie Clement, Josh Kasevich and 2026 draft pick Ryan Cooney), so Francisca could be appealing. It is worth noting that Springer has earned 10-and-5 rights, which allow him to veto any trade. He has played for two MLB teams, and he and family have never faced a midseason team change before, so it’s unclear where or if he’ll be open to moving. — Mitch BannonSpringer is earning a little more than $24 million this season, and even though Antonetti insists finances won’t stand in the Guardians’ way at the deadline, they’d probably want Toronto to cover a good chunk. I presume Springer has never devoted a nanosecond of thought to whether he’d agree to a trade to Cleveland. Francisca’s a solid prospect, but he isn’t regarded like Genao. — MeiselWho says no: Springer, maybe