For most of their history, the Cleveland Guardians have taken the very same approach to building their roster. They don’t spend a lot of money, and they take pride in finding middle infielders with a knack for contact and developing pitchers.
Given the way this team has fared more often than not, it’s hard to argue with that approach. It has clearly worked like a charm for them. However, given how their roster is built and how much they’ve struggled to get much going on offense, it might be time to shake things up a little.
With that in mind, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com thinks it’s time to bolster their hitting coaching:
“Well, they need to get a batting factory going,” Pluto argued. “I’m sure they need a batting factory and I know they’ve looked at this stuff, but they need to have it where they can get some of these guys that have come in that maybe been good, and suddenly they’re off, and they stay off when they come here.”
The Guardians aren’t going to spend big bucks in free agency or go after the most prominent trade candidates. If anything, they’re going to trade their best players once they start getting a little too pricey.
That doesn’t mean they can’t compete at the highest level. They’ve already shown that.
Also, with slugging prospects like Chase DeLauter, George Valera, and Jace LaViolette, their most recent first-round draft pick, they might finally be leaning towards a different style of roster-building. Even so, they clearly need more help in that regard.
This team is trending in the right direction. They have one of the best young managers in the game, and they shouldn’t have much competition in the AL Central once Tarik Skubal is no longer with the Detroit Tigers.
Hopefully, they’ll make the additions they need to get to the next level.
NEXT: Former Guardians Infielder Gets Elected To Baseball HOF
