The Cleveland Guardians might have won on Wednesday night, but they have been very inconsistent in recent games. Their 56-54 record actually reflects it, almost to perfection: they are dangerously close to becoming a .500 team.
To get over the hump, they need to bring in roster upgrades ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Their offense is well below-average, so even though their rotation and bullpen are solid and they have an excellent manager, they probably won’t get anywhere near the World Series if they don’t improve their lineup.
Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes warned the front office: the time to act is now, because the Guardians’ playoff window won’t stay open forever.
“That’s the bottom line. A playoff window doesn’t stay open forever. The Guardians have the pitching. They have the defense. They have the bullpen. What they’re missing is the offensive punch that turns a good team into a dangerous one. If they can find it before Monday at 5 p.m., this conversation gets a lot more interesting,” he said.
Jose Ramirez, the star of the team, is 33. He might start to decline soon: his stats could even suggest that the process has already started, although he could definitely get hot any time now. The time to support him with win-now acquisitions is now. His prime won’t last forever.
In fact, you could argue that this is the perfect time for Cleveland to acquire some veterans who help them win now, with J-Ram still contributing elite power-speed numbers, rookies Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter, and Parker Messick emerging as stars, and an impressive group of prospects still in the upper minors.
The Guardians need a power hitter or two for the lineup, a couple of high-leverage bullpen pieces, and a depth starter. That’s the shopping list. They are unlikely to come out of the deadline having filled all those needs, but the offensive help is badly needed, at the very least.
If it’s August 4 and Cleveland has the exact same lineup, it should be seen as a failure by the front office. They need to add some thump, some old-fashioned power, because if they don’t, it means they let Ramirez and their entire fanbase down again.
NEXT: Guardians Get Big Win Over Reds On Wednesday
