The Cleveland Guardians made two big moves before the trade deadline.
They sent Paul Sewald to the Detroit Tigers to get out of his contract.
They also moved Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays.
There was a strong case to be made for both of those moves.
Nevertheless, Tony Rizzo isn’t a fan.
Talking on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” he said that the Guardians were essentially punting on the season.
He called them out for waiving the white flag, as he believes the Guardians shouldn’t be afraid of anybody in the American League right now, and he believes they could’ve gotten far with their ‘Guards ball.’
“The decision to punt on the season for me is just mind-boggling. I would’ve went in with Gavin Williams, [Shane Bieber], Tanner Bibee—I would take my chances with that. Playing Guards Ball in the playoffs? That’s what baseball’s all about,” Rizzo said.
.@TheRealTRizzo feels like the Guardians are punting on the rest of the season and he HATES it.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/m0HtJnYJBa
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 31, 2025
That makes sense to a degree.
Having Shane Bieber on the mound in the playoffs would obviously be a big boost for this team, and you had to like their chances against anybody.
Then again, the Guardians moved two players who haven’t made an impact this season, so it shouldn’t necessarily affect what they have right now.
Sewald was looking at a long absence, and Bieber was most likely going to leave the team in free agency anyway.
Of course, it’s never ideal to move on from the stars, and Bieber was the team’s ace.
But if the writing was already on the wall and he was poised to take his talents somewhere else, the Guardians did the right thing by cutting their losses while adding an elite prospect.
And in spite of that, this team could still make a run in the playoffs.
NEXT: Tigers Are Acquiring Guardians Pitcher
