The Cleveland Guardians were always seen as a competitive team. They were, even before the deadline, capable of beating anyone on their night. They were also flawed and inconsistent, though, hence their current 57-56 record.
The front office knew that, if they wanted to have any chance of regaining first place in the division, they needed to make moves. And so they did.
Over the weekend, Cleveland acquired a reserve outfielder and a solid, controllable reliever in Blake Perkins and Craig Yoho, respectively. Then, on Monday, they executed three trades, bringing in powerful outfielder Jo Adell, All-Star rotation piece Foster Griffin, and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Not bad at all.
Most analysts, fans, and rivals agree that the Guardians got significantly better after the deadline. That’s what Anthony Lima explained, saying that they didn’t have to give up much talent to fortify their roster for the second half.
“Other than ‘It’s baseball,’ we had nothing else to say about their chances to reach a higher level come postseason. This team was not built like a team that could get to the World Series. They’re probably, honestly, still not in that category, but they helped themselves. This Jose Ramirez season has been a disaster. He hasn’t even looked remotely like the guy who’s a perennial MVP. They need him to come along. They basically gave up nothing. They added three players, and you gave up somebody who was a top-15 prospect in Cozart, and that’s it. What else did you really give up to add these players who, for sure, are going to be able to help you down the stretch?” Lima said.
"This team was not built like a team that could get to the World Series…they're probably, honestly, still not in that category, but they helped themselves. This Jose Ramirez season has been a disaster…they need him to come along."
➡️ @SportsBoyTony to @KenCarman on the… https://t.co/UjCIgvYcTj pic.twitter.com/EFcjQtmBvo
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 4, 2026
Lima is spot-on in the two primary topics of his analysis. First, he points out that for Cleveland to take the next step, they need Ramirez to show something. The future Hall of Fame candidate is slashing a rather disappointing .233/.331/.388 with 10 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and a 101 wRC+.
Additionally, Lima states that the Guardians ‘helped themselves’ while basically ‘giving up nothing’. Catching prospect Jacob Cozart probably has a future in MLB, but he’s blocked by Patrick Bailey, Austin Hedges, Cooper Ingle, Kody Huff, and others in Cleveland.
Pitcher Alejandro Rivera is too far from the majors at the moment, and while Will Dion is a solid reliever and Josh Hartle, Nick Mitchell, and Kendeglys Virguez are all talented minor leaguers, none of them are blue-chip guys. Bo Naylor’s time in Cleveland had already come to a close, and the Guardians are probably not going to miss Codi Heuer too much.
Adell could be a serious weapon against lefties, and Lowe should get the majority of playing time against righties either at first base or the DH spot. Getting Griffin for the rotation is a coup, and it allows Cleveland to remove the struggling Slade Cecconi from the staff for the time being. Yoho looks like a bullpen cornerstone already.
Credit to President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti for, once again, doing a lot with few resources.
NEXT: Guardians Executive Gets Honest About Sending 2 Key Players Down
