Patrick Bailey's trade from the San Francisco Giants to the Cleveland Guardians on May 9 tells the story. Hitting just .146 with one home run in 30 games, the two-time Gold Glove winner became too big a hole at the plate for the Giants to tolerate. Buster Posey confirmed the organization bet on rookie catchers Jesus Rodriguez and Daniel Susac instead.

Bailey is hardly alone. Ke'Bryan Hayes (.142/.195/.225) went on the IL, Joey Ortiz (.195/.290/.239) posted the worst OPS of any qualified hitter last season, and Victor Scott II's OPS sits nearly 100 points below his defensive ranking would suggest. Marcus Semien, a three-time MVP finalist, has seen production slide at age 35. The league batting average of .239 — the lowest since 1968 — has stripped away patience for defense-only players.

Since 1962, only 30 players have batted 3,000 times with a career OPS+ below 70, and Billy Hamilton was the last in 2023. Staying in the lineup with an OPS+ below 80 is now rarer than one player per team. The league's .239 average has forced teams to cut elite defenders when the bat can't justify the roster spot.