Guardians Fans Will Scratch Their Heads Over This Trade Deadline Take

The Cleveland Guardians are one of the most interesting teams in baseball heading into the MLB trade deadline. While they are just 47-50, they are right in the thick of the American League Wild Card race, which could make their buying vs. selling decision difficult.

Historically, the Guardians have been a very conservative franchise, so you would think that Cleveland is leaning toward selling, but given how easy the Guardians' schedule is coming out of the break here, perhaps there is a chance that they could go on a run before July 31.

But is it possible Cleveland could simply do nothing at all? Guardians insider Tim Stebbins thinks so, making the case for Cleveland to stand pat by the deadline.

“If you’re talking about reasons for the Guardians to stand pat, here’s one for you: Cleveland’s second-half strength schedule," Stebbins said. "Entering Friday, the Guardians had 67 games remaining in 2025, and their opponents’ combined winning percentage was .467. In other words, the Guardians had the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the Major Leagues. And yes, no game in the big leagues is easy, and any player or manager will tell you that. But the Guardians’ 13 games out of the break before the deadline are against teams under .500 in the A’s, the Orioles, the Royals, and the Rockies. So they do, at least, have an opportunity to stack up some wins before and after the trade deadline to truly establish themselves as part of this AL postseason race,”

Here's the thing, though: if the Guardians' schedule is that manageable and they have a chance of ripping off a nice chunk of wins here, then why would they just do nothing? Wouldn't that actually make the case for Cleveland to buy some pieces in order to bolster its playoff chances?

Realistically speaking, standing pat is the worst thing the Guardians can do at this point. They either need to move candidates like Emmanuel Clase, Carlos Santana and possibly even Steven Kwan to rebuild their farm system, or they must go for broke to try and make another run with 32-year-old Jose Ramirez.

Cleveland could also do a little bit of buying and selling, making shrewd moves for club-controlled players while also trading some of its more valuable — and expensive — pieces.

We'll find out what the Guardians decide to do before the end of the month.

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