The Cleveland Guardians aren’t a bad team. In fact, they are currently sharing the AL Central lead with the Chicago White Sox and boast a 42-39 record. They do have lots of flaws, though, and if they don’t do something to address them, it might cost them a postseason spot.
That’s exactly what the trade deadline is for. This year, the Guardians have until August 3 to add to their current roster, and quite frankly, they need more than just one player.
Yes, Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and Chase DeLauter will likely return from their respective injuries before the deadline, and yes, the Guardians have some potentially impactful prospects in Triple-A who could contribute in the stretch run if they aren’t traded. However, they need proven offensive production and also a couple of arms.
With that in mind, there was an interesting debate about potential acquisitions at the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. Some of the names thrown around were pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Freddy Peralta, infielders Gleyber Torres and Luis Arraez, and outfielder Jarren Duran.
Jason Lloyd revealed that he is a fan of Duran, even though he isn’t really having a good season.
“Duran’s been rumored for years. Uh, they (the Boston Red Sox) have a kind of a glut of outfielders, so I’m high on Duran. He’s come around in the last few weeks. He got off to a terrible start, but he’s been better of late. And if you’re going to make me pick among those names, I would take him as a bat over the other two,” he said.
Zac Jackson is also on board with the idea of acquiring Duran, as long as it’s a buy-low situation.
“Yeah, I mean, in a one-on-one situation here, I’m—I’m buying low on Duran. Um, in general though, like right, what’s the easy answer? A bat. You need a bat,” he said.
Duran has a well-below-average 67 wRC+, which makes any acquisition concerning. He does have 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases, but his .258 OBP before Thursday’s games is a problem, as is his 30.2 percent strikeout rate.
Still, if the price is right (and that price has decreased considerably, given his 2026 performance), Cleveland will surely be interested in him as a bounce-back candidate.
The two remaining hitters, Torres and Arraez, don’t make too much sense anymore, given Cleveland’s depth in that area of the roster, but Alcantara (4.01 ERA) and Peralta (4.83 ERA) would be nice acquisitions.
NEXT: Analyst Raises A Surprising Option For Steven Kwan
