The Cleveland Guardians defied the odds to win the AL Central and make the playoffs.
A team with so little firepower wasn’t supposed to be there, and while it takes much more than hitters to win, it was still surprising to see them get as far as they did.
That’s why Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has a clear target when identifying the Guardians’ biggest roster hole to fix heading into the offseason.
“Offense,” Reuter wrote. “The Guardians were a playoff team despite ranking near the bottom of the league in batting average (.226, 29th), OPS (.669, 29th), home runs (168, 20th) and runs scored (643, 28th), and they made the postseason with a negative run differential. Aside from Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo, the roster is lacking in impact offensive talent, and that needs to change for them to take the next step.”
They can do so by having rookies C.J. Kayfus, George Valera and Chase DeLauter on hand from Opening Day.
However, as much as that’s a big step in the right direction, they can’t bank all of their hopes on rookies.
They have to find some reliable veteran bats, ideally a right-handed power hitter.
Ramirez has put the front office on notice by claiming that they didn’t honor their word to use his hometown-discount contract to surround him with a strong team.
The organization has never been known for its willingness to spend, so that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Yet, they need to find a way to add to the offense.
They’re wasting Ramirez’s prime, and while the third baseman is unlikely to force his way out before his contract expires, the Guardians shouldn’t take that risk.
Instead, they should do whatever they can to build a better lineup around one of their franchise greats.
NEXT: Chase DeLauter Given Encouraging Outlook For Next Season
