Albert Belle drops harsh truth about Jose Ramirez and Cleveland Guardians

Belle was surprised that the Guardians decided to trade Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks after having a career season at the dish. The Guardians traded Naylor, who had just given the team 108 RBI and 31 home runs in an All-Star season.

Cleveland baseball executives Mike Chernoff and Chris Antonetti never replaced Naylor’s production, leaving Ramirez relatively unprotected in the batting lineup every night.

“Unfortunately they traded him and Carlos Santana didn’t have the season that everybody was expecting,” Belle said.

Belle is one of the best hitters in the history of this franchise, and he is preaching to fans how much better Ramirez can be with a reliable hitter behind him in the lineup.

Santana was not even able to make it to the finish line of the season as the Guardians released their veteran first baseman and franchise stalwart in August. He was replaced by Kyle Manzardo as well as youngsters C.J. Kayfus and Jhonkensey Noel who received elevations from Triple-A Columbus.

But Manzardo’s bat cooled off in the second half of the season. It was his first true action with consistent at-bats. Kayfus showcased some promise, but was still navigating major league pitching. Noel can provide power every now and then, but his swing has way too many holes to be a consistent contributor with the big club.

This offseason, the Guardians will be tasked with supporting Ramirez. After the season concluded, a Spanish podcast clip from the spring resurfaced on social media where Ramirez explained his displeasure with the front office. Ramirez alluded to the fact that he felt misled, as Cleveland’s ownership has not capitalized on his team-friendly contract in order to contend.

Adding offense to this roster has to be the priority for the Guardians this offseason. Cleveland’s starting pitching is so dominant that even just a little bit more offensive help could help the Guardians become a serious threat in October.