The Cleveland Guardians sit atop the AL Central division with a four-game advantage over the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins.
You wouldn’t believe that a team with a 76-86 record in 2023 is now 59-40, a few days after picking first in the MLB Draft.
That’s your Guardians team right there: a solid present and an even better future.
They do have some pressing needs on their roster, though, mainly starting pitching and fixing an offense who has gone cold in recent games, so much that they have lost seven of their last nine contests.
Ideally, the Guardians would take advantage of their incredible farm to go all-in before the deadline and bring in multiple pitchers and a hitting star.
MLB insider Jeff Passan, who knows a thing or two about the current state of baseball, is reporting that the team might not go “all-in”, though.
“The MLB trade deadline is one week away. In his latest article, ESPN Senior MLB insider @JeffPassan lists the Cleveland Guardians as a team “Adding, but not all-in,” ESPN Cleveland tweeted.
The MLB trade deadline is one week away. In his latest article, ESPN Senior MLB insider @JeffPassan lists the Cleveland Guardians as a team "Adding, but not all-in"
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/up1W03uOQ1
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 23, 2024
It seems like a formality that the Guardians will eventually add, at the very least, a solid starting pitcher.
Will they do anything of note besides that?
The Athletic’s Zack Meisel believes they will make “multiple deals” prior to or on July 30, but Passan is a bit more cautious.
“Maybe Cleveland surprises the industry, acts like a team that’s 19 games above .500 and makes a push for AL supremacy. The Guardians find themselves in this place, though, because of their discipline. It’s a feature, not a bug,” Passan explained to open his paragraph.
The star reporter pointed out that one or two arms should land in Cleveland, but also said they aren’t as “offense-hungry” as in past seasons and there is a lot of truth to that, even despite their recent ugly stretch at the plate that has seen him score just three runs in their last three games.
The main reason why the Guards might not break the market is because it’s not their nature.
“As much as this incarnation has earned the front office complementing it at the deadline, big-ticket deadline moves to add talent simply aren’t in its DNA,” Passan concluded.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Predicts Team Will Make "Multiple Trades" Before Deadline
