Surprisingly, the Cleveland Guardians front office actually made a splash at the trade deadline. Normally, the Guardians aren’t big players at the trade deadline, but they were this season, and it seems to be paying off for them. The new additions to the Guardians’ roster have been making a significant impact since joining the team.
According to Bradford Doolittle of ESPN, the Guardians’ playoff chances have increased by 14.3% at the deadline.
“Jo Adell has been just what the Guardians needed, while doing the same things he was doing for the Angels. He has been one of the more impactful deadline pickups so far. Nathaniel Lowe has had a couple of nice moments, but overall has a 92 OPS+. Foster Griffin has been solid after a rough first start after arriving from Washington. Craig Yoho has gotten frequent relief work, but the ex-Brewer has an ERA over 7.00,” Doolittle wrote.
Not every single trade has worked out perfectly for the Guardians, but overall, it has been a success. The lineup has been clicking much better with Adell and Lowe as part of it. Griffin has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts. As for Yoho, he might be a dud, but the right-hander has only pitched 12.2 innings, so let’s give him some time to turn it around.
Heading into Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, the Guardians sit three games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central. They’ve dropped two straight games, but they still hold the third spot in the AL Wild Card race. As of this moment, ESPN gives the Guardians a 44.2% chance of making the postseason.
The Guardians now head into an important stretch of play with series against the Tigers, Orioles, Twins, and White Sox. Three of those teams are divisional rivals and are must-win games for Cleveland. At this point, the front office has done what they can, and it’s time for the players to get this team into October.
A hot stretch of play put the Guardians in playoff contention; now they just need to hold onto it.
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