Cleveland Guardians Projected To Be Buyers At MLB Trade Deadline

We're only a quarter of the way through the new MLB season, but it's already become pretty clear that the Cleveland Guardians will hang around in the playoff picture throughout the season.

If Cleveland hopes to increase their chances of winning the American League Central and reaching another postseason, it's going to need to upgrade their roster, and that may need to come from outside the organization.

With this in mind, it makes sense that Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently identified the Guardians as "projected buyers" during the trade deadline.

The analyst believes that if Cleveland is going to make a trade, their top trade target should be an outfielder.

"Even with Lane Thomas on the mend from a wrist injury that has sidelined him since April 19, the Guardians could still use another bat in the outfield," wrote Reuter.

"Steven Kwan is a staple in left field, but Nolan Jones (108 PA, .152 BA, 59 OPS+) and Jhonkensy Noel (79 PA, .160 BA, 29 OPS+) have both struggled mightily at the plate, while Angel Martínez (-2 DRS, -0.3 dWAR) is an infielder miscast as a center fielder."

The Guardians are in a similar position to the one they were in during the 2024 season. When the front office sensed an opportunity to make a playoff run, it made two trades to add veterans Alex Cobb and Lane Thomas to the roster.

If the Guardians are still in clear contention to make the playoffs when the trade deadline approaches, it would make sense for the organization to make more trades to solidify the roster.

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