The Cleveland Guardians are fresh off a 10-game losing streak that has the season circling the drain, and even after following that skid up with a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros, the Guardians find themselves with the fourth-worst record in the American League.
It is more likely that the front office will decide to sell at the upcoming trade deadline, with star closer Emmanuel Clase serving as the biggest piece the team has to offer on the open market.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic recently wrote about what the Philadelphia Phillies could have in store at the deadline, and he noted they have “specific interest” in the AL Central due to the excess of intriguing relievers available in the division, including Clase.
“The Phillies have a specific interest in the American League Central; they began scouting the Minnesota Twins more heavily this week in anticipation of them being sellers, league sources said. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Durán will be prized targets if Minnesota makes them available. They’re expected to listen. There is a potential match with the Cleveland Guardians, who boast a deep bullpen headlined by Emmanuel Clase. Teams expect Cleveland to take offers on Clase, who is signed through 2026 with $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028,” Gelb wrote.
The back end of the Phillies’ bullpen has been a disaster this season, most notably due to closer Jordan Romano’s struggles.
Romano has eight saves and three blown saves with a ghastly 7.44 ERA after most recently surrendering a walk-off inside-the-park three-run homer to Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants earlier in the week.
Philly has a chance to win it all if it can fix its bullpen woes, as the Phillies once again have an elite offense and roll out one of the league’s most dominant starting rotations.
A proven closer like Clase could put them over the top, and with the Guardians floundering and having Cade Smith waiting in the wings to take over as the closer, it’s not hard to justify a Clase trade.
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