The Cleveland Guardians have a 58-37 record as they start the second half of the season on Friday.
That’s good enough to be the best record in the American League.
Fans are excited about the team, and the roster is good enough that they are allowed to dream of something big and important in franchise history.
The roster, however, is not without flaws and baseball chief Chris Antonetti knows it.
He knows, probably better than anyone else, that it would be difficult to reach the World Series with the current state of the rotation.
That’s why he, and the team as a whole, needs to strike now, within the next 10 days, before the trade deadline rolls around.
That’s exactly what The Athletic’s Zack Meisel is preaching: a sense of urgency.
“Meisel: It’s the perfect time for the Cleveland Guardians’ front office to strike,” The Athletic Cleveland tweeted.
Meisel: It's the perfect time for the Cleveland Guardians' front office to strike https://t.co/8nsLdFuywd
— The Athletic Cleveland / Columbus (@TheAthleticCLE) July 19, 2024
In the article, Meisel compares these Guardians with the 2016 team that reached the World Series.
That squad was good, but by adding Andrew Miller and Brandon Guyer, it became even better and those deals helped them reach the last series of the season.
It all comes down to these lines he wrote: “Something is brewing at the corner of Carnegie Avenue and Ontario Street. The Guardians reached the All-Star break with the best record in the AL. They surpassed the 1 million mark in attendance quicker than they have in any season since 2008. They’ve rewarded the packed houses with a 30-11 home record,” per the article ($).
The Guardians are good, but could be even better, and to have a chance of winning the Fall Classic, they have to be as good as they can be.
That requires a rotation upgrade or two, plus other deals.
The time to move is now: the Guardians have a golden opportunity in front of them.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Reveals 2025 Opening Day And Home Opener Opponents
