The MLB trade deadline is nearing and the Cleveland Guardians, owners of the best record in all of the American League, have a legitimate shot to make a deep playoff run. What they do and don’t do at the deadline will impact what the rest of their season looks like.
The Guardians certainly want to be buyers but they want to be thrifty and avoid moving one of their top prospects, according to Buster Olney and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Cleveland has a nice core of players full of contributors in their prime years or younger, so the decision to maintain that whole group or sacrifice part of it to take advantage of the chance to win right now could come down to the wire.
Olney writes that the Guardians “are looking for a starting pitcher and some kind of hitter, although they are reluctant to part with any of their better prospects.”
Passan writes the following: “The balance of the market severely in the favor of subtracting teams will force Cleveland to go against its every instinct, but the need for another starter is very real, and a bat for a team shut out in five of its past 13 games would help mightily, too.”
What will Guardians do ahead of MLB trade deadline?
There have already been plenty of trades flying ahead of the deadline, limiting the options for the Guardians. This won’t help them pay a lower price, as bidding wars will only grow in the final hours of the deadline.
Steven Kwan has been amazing but the rest of the Guardians' outfielders have been lackluster at the plate. Making a splash for Luis Robert Jr. doesn’t seem like the type of move that suits them. Adding someone like Taylor Ward or Lane Thomas, solid players who may not cost a lot, seems to be a move that’s more their speed.
Pitching is also a need for the Guardians, too, as Ben Lively and Tanner Bibee have been their only primary starters who have been pretty good. Tarik Skubal is out there — and poaching a superstar from a division rival would sure be sweet — but Cleveland's reluctance to swing a huge trade means that he probably isn’t going to call Progressive Field home. The same can be said about Garrett Crochet.
The Guardians have a 4.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central standings. While they may want to see more of their current core before deciding on any major moves, they need a jolt to have a better shot at competing for the World Series.
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