The Cleveland Guardians were one of the best teams in baseball at this point last season.
As things stand now, that’s not the case.
They’re far behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and on the outside of the AL Wild Card race.
The Guardians have hit a wall, dropping two out of every three games recently.
Unfortunately, that’s why Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes Cleveland is going to be sellers at the trade deadline.
“Sell,” Rymer wrote. “Here, we have another risk-averse franchise that has stalled out in its pursuit of the Tigers in the AL Central. And, alas, Shane Bieber may not be up to playing the hero with this one. Barring an unlikely hot streak between now and July 31, the Guardians figure to cut their losses. Pending free agents such as Carlos Santana and Lane Thomas will be obvious trade chips, though teams can at least ask about the guys on the top shelf. For example, whispers of a potential Emmanuel Clase trade have already begun.”
The Guardians have never been an overly aggressive team, and they may not have the assets to make a big splash at the trade deadline.
Jose Ramirez has a no-trade clause, so even if the Guardians were to consider moving on from the star infielder, which sounds unlikely, he would have to sign off on any potential deal, thus hampering the team’s ability to get the best package in return.
Clase, on the other hand, is on a good-value contract, but the closer has shown some serious signs of decline this season, so the Guardians might capitalize on his value while they still can.
There’s still time, and this team can get hot in the blink of an eye, but barring a massive turn of events, the Guardians are unlikely to acquire win-now players at the deadline.
NEXT: Guardians Could Make Surprising Move With Emmanuel Clase
