The Cleveland Guardians are said to be considering selling some of their best players after losing Emmanuel Clase, their star closer, to non-disciplinary paid leave.
Clase was reportedly on the trade block before what happened, and seeing some of the prices being paid for top relievers on Wednesday, they could have gotten a haul for him.
That’s not the case anymore, and the ripple effects of not being able to trade Clase have involved the Guardians dangling some of their top names on the market.
While trade speculation surrounds outfielder Steven Kwan, starting pitcher Shane Bieber, relievers Cade Smith and Jakob Junis, and other players on the roster, the Guardians keep winning.
“We’ve taken 14 of our last 20 games!” they posted on X on Wednesday night after beating the Colorado Rockies 5-0 in just two hours, taking two out of three in their series.
We’ve taken 14 of our last 20 games!#GuardsBall | #GuardiWWins pic.twitter.com/LfEHsT5IG3
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 31, 2025
The front office is seriously considering trading some of the Guardians’ best players because it’s a seller’s market, with about a dozen contenders interested in pitching and very few squads willing to trade them.
However, while this happens, the players are letting the world know that instead of selling, Cleveland should be buying.
They are 54-54, nine games out of the division (they were 15.5 games behind on July 8) and still within striking distance in the fight for the third Wild Card spot.
With a few specific call-ups (C.J. Kayfus comes to mind) and two impactful bats acquired via trade, the Guardians can make some noise in the stretch run.
It doesn’t look like the front office is going in that direction, though.
NEXT: Steven Kwan Is Drawing Interest From NL Team
