Overview
- The one-for-one trade, reported Sunday by MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins and recorded in the MLB transactions log, sends outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez to Baltimore for right-hander Carter Rustad.
- Cleveland had designated Rodriguez for assignment earlier in the week, clearing the path for a deal rather than a waiver claim.
- Rodriguez has hammered Triple-A pitching with a .301/.390/.535 line and 56 home runs across 1,083 plate appearances.
- He has struggled in the majors at .176/.282/.304 over 117 plate appearances, yet he carries a minor-league option that gives Baltimore flexible outfield depth.
- Rustad, 24, was a 2024 15th-round pick who posted a 3.23 ERA with high strikeout and walk rates in 53 innings last season and now sits 94–96 mph, with Cleveland likely to start him in Double-A as a development play.