The Cleveland Guardians are 44-40 as of Monday afternoon. They share first place in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox, so they are right in the thick of things.
Sure, things could certainly be better. However, they could be worse, too, especially with Jose Ramirez out with an injury for a few more weeks.
The Guardians still have full control of their season or, at least, of what they do to try and stay afloat. They aren’t chasing anyone in the division, as it happened last year when they were clearly behind the Detroit Tigers at this juncture.
They could stay put at the deadline, try to survive without Ramirez and Angel Martinez, wait for them to rejoin the team, and try to squeeze into the postseason. For once, however, they should aim higher than that.
With a very talented young core and a solid, stable rotation, it’s time for Cleveland to push its ceiling and bring in true difference-makers at the deadline. They are a solid club, but they are far from elite, and if they don’t bring in the right reinforcements, a run at the World Series wouldn’t be a realistic outcome.
“They should capitalize on their situation. Life’s too short, the franchise hasn’t won a World Series since before the Lego was invented, and there might not be baseball next year. The Guardians boast a playoff-caliber pitching staff, a face-of-the-franchise who is nearing his 34th birthday, and talented rookie hitters in Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana to build around. This is when you get a little bit uncomfortable, use a healthy farm system and supplement what is already in place,” The Athletic’s Zack Meisel wrote.
The Guardians insider is spot-on in his analysis. The Guardians have a lot going on for them, but the status quo probably won’t lead them to the promised land. The acquisition of a proven power hitter and a couple of pieces for the bullpen gives them a chance, though.
Cleveland has one of the best farm systems in baseball, but do they have the urgency? Do they have the willingness to part with some of their most prized prospects for win-now talent?
Unless they get the DeLauter of the first week extended throughout the summer and fall, and the pitching staff remains 100 percent healthy, it’s hard to see the Guardians winning it all as currently constructed. They need power, they need offensive reliability, and they need depth.
It’s time for the front office to seek those things aggressively come August 3.
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