Okay, so Tampa’s star third baseman, Junior Caminero, is absolutely tearing it up this season, hitting a ridiculous .276 with 100 runs, 42 homers, 101 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. But here’s the wild part: he originally signed with the Cleveland Guardians back in July 2019, only to be traded away just two and a half years later.
The One That Got Away
You gotta be kidding me, right? An MVP candidate like Caminero, a guy who puts up those numbers, was once in the Guardians’ system. Cleveland scooped him up as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Fast forward to November 2021, and they shipped off their future star to the Rays for a right-handed pitcher named Tobias Myers. At the time of the deal, Caminero was only 18, toiling away in the Dominican Summer League, the absolute lowest rung of minor league baseball. He wasn’t even on anyone’s radar as a top prospect yet. Baseball America didn’t rank him in the Rays’ top 30 until 2023. It took until 2024 for him to crack the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. Man, that’s a tough pill for Cleveland fans to swallow, watching him explode like this.
The ‘Bad Trade’ That Changed Everything
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti didn’t mince words back in 2023, telling MLB.com that it was simply “That’s a bad trade.” And honestly, who can argue with him now? The Rays, though, saw something special. Kevin Ibach, their vice president of player personnel, told MLB.com in November 2021 that they “just saw a really talented hitter.” He added a line that perfectly sums up the Rays’ scouting genius: “I’d rather be a year early than a year late acquiring that profile. You’re not always going to get them right, but when you do, those players make such strides over the course of a calendar year that they may not be accessible a year from now.” They weren’t wrong, were they? They snagged him before he blew up. Myers, on the other hand, was 23 and a solid prospect who made it to Triple-A in 2021. The Rays just weren’t going to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, so instead of losing him for nothing, they flipped him for Caminero, who was pretty much a lottery ticket at that point. It seemed like a pretty typical minor trade at the time, done right around the Rule 5 Draft protection deadline.
Cleveland’s Costly Gamble
So, what happened to Tobias Myers after Cleveland got him? They immediately put him on their 40-man roster. But here’s the kicker: he never threw a single pitch for them. Nope. Myers struggled big time in Triple-A in 2022. Cleveland designated him for assignment that July, then they traded him away to the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations. That’s it. Cash. The Guardians got absolutely nothing tangible from Myers. Nada. Zero. The source says it best: the Caminero trade was a “total loss on their end.” You have to wonder what could have been if Caminero was still wearing their colors, putting up those monster numbers for them.
This Caminero story is just wild, isn’t it? He’s out there proving why the Rays’ scouting is next level, becoming an absolute beast at the plate. Every time he crushes another 400-foot bomb, you know Cleveland has to feel that sting all over again. Keep an eye on this kid, because if these early season stats are any indication, he’s just getting started, and the league is definitely noticing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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