The 40-48 Cleveland Guardians might be leaning towards selling some of their assets, given their recent woes.
They have lost 10 straight games, including a heartbreaking game on Sunday.
If they enter the days before the trade deadline with the intention of selling, it’s almost a given that Carlos Santana and Lane Thomas will be wearing another uniform in a few weeks.
Pitchers Paul Sewald and Jakob Junis are also near locks to be flipped to other organizations.
Those are potentially useful players for contenders, but hardly difference-makers.
Emmanuel Clase, on the other hand, could be treated as such.
Clase has the track record of an established star, a solid 3.29 ERA this year in 38.1 frames despite an ugly start to the season, and an extremely team-friendly deal.
Oh, and he is just 27.
Maybe some Guardians fans get frustrated because of Clase’s 2025 inconsistencies, but other teams hold him in very high regard.
There has been chatter about Cleveland flipping Clase for the right package.
Even though it could happen, it’s highly unlikely.
The odds are not zero, though, so it’s worth analyzing.
Guardians reporter Andre Knott implies that the Guardians need to get at least two MLB-ready batters if they are going to entertain the possibility of unloading a star in his prime.
"If you do that for Clase, you gotta get two hitters that can hit and can play right now," – @DreKnott on a potential Clase trade. pic.twitter.com/GlGRhn3glV
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 7, 2025
The Guardians badly need competitive hitters, so if they get two (plus other assets, of course) for Clase, there is a chance that they remain competitive in 2025.
However, trading the franchise leader in saves would probably mean that the organization has shifted its focus to 2026.
NEXT: Guardians Executive Reveals Goal For 2025 MLB Draft
