By ERA, the Cleveland Guardians’ pitching staff is the eighth-best in MLB and the fifth-best in the American League with a 3.77 mark. They also have the fourth-best K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) in baseball at 9.27. It’s also the top mark in the junior circuit.
The bottom line is the Guardians can pitch. The numbers say so, and so does the eye test. The problem with this team is producing runs consistently.
Judging by wRC+, which is the premier metric to evaluate offensive performance, Cleveland is 26th out of 30 MLB squads with a 91 mark. They are also 28th with a .229 batting average and 25th with 79 home runs.
You don’t need an expert to understand what this team needs to work on before the trade deadline, but it never hurts to hear it from the voice of a franchise legend.
“That’s been the key right there—our pitching staff keeping us in the game. Thinking about what we need to keep going to the playoffs, we need another reliever with experience and one more hitter to help us out,” Baerga said.
What should the Guards be after at the deadline? #GuardsBall
"We need another reliever with experience and one more hitter."
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/zX3esDM8c2 pic.twitter.com/iqAdSR5ZBp
— Cleveland Guardians on SI (@GuardsOnSI) July 2, 2026
Baerga isn’t afraid to voice his opinion on Guardians-related matters, and the trade deadline needs discussion is no exception. Cleveland needs to add bats: at least one, and preferably more than that.
Since the Guardians have an elite defensive tandem at catcher and are probably set in the infield, any big acquisition would likely come to play outfield or designated hitter. There will surely be plenty of those available in the upcoming weeks, as teams decide whether they are buyers or sellers.
Baerga does point out the need to add at least another reliever, though, and he is absolutely right. Hunter Gaddis and Shawn Armstrong are proven but have been shaky at times this year, and Erik Sabrowski, another key guy, is returning from an elbow scare.
If the Guardians can bring in a late-inning star to the mix, close leads will be safer, and Cade Smith and the aforementioned guys would have more help getting those tough outs late in games. Some of these arms can be had for a mid-level prospect or two, so there are no excuses for the front office.
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