The Cleveland Guardians had some obvious needs this offseason, most notably on offense, after the lineup halted production throughout the second half of the season and the postseason.
Because of that, some fans have criticized the team for not aggressively adding to the offense in free agency or via trade.
However, one insider recently revealed why the team has been operating from a more wait-and-see standpoint.
Terry Pluto recently covered the team’s offseason for Cleveland.com and shared why he believes the team hasn’t signed a big bat this offseason.
“Most of the Guards’ top prospects are position players. The MLB Pipeline has five Cleveland players in their top 100 MLB prospects. None are pitchers. Why talk about prospects? Because the Guardians were determined to acquire at least one MLB ready starter via a trade. They want to prop up their rotation depth. Yes, they like prospects such as Doug Nikhazy, Ryan Webb and Cantillo who have experience and promise, but they want more right now.,” Pluto said.
Cleveland’s rotation looks strong after re-signing Shane Bieber, who missed nearly all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, and trading for Luis Ortiz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The team acquired Ortiz and other prospects for Spencer Horwitz, who was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for second baseman Andres Gimenez.
If the goal was to upgrade the rotation, the team did that already and is still able to add to the rotation if needed.
That being said, with Cleveland having so many bats in the minors on the way up, particularly No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana to replace Gimenez at some point, internal upgrades for the offense must also be a major priority.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Why The Guardians Traded Josh Naylor
