Guardians Have Already Made a Grave Mistake Before MLB Trade Deadline

The Cleveland Guardians are not exactly having the type of season they hoped for, as they are sitting at 46-49 at the All-Star break, four-and-a-half games out of a Wild Card spot.

At this time last year, the Guardians were one of the best teams in baseball and were on their way to winning the AL Central and advancing all the way to the ALCS. So, what exactly has happened?

Well, instead of loading up following last season's magical run, Cleveland decided to offload players. It traded Josh Naylor. It sent Andres Gimenez packing. It opted not to re-sign Matthew Boyd. And what do the Guardians have to show for it?

Yes, Cleveland flipped part of the package it acquired via the Gimenez deal to land Luis Ortiz from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Ortiz is now being investigated for gambling. Naylor has been brilliant for the Arizona Diamondbacks while Carlos Santana, his replacement, owns a .688 OPS. Boyd has dominated for the Chicago Cubs.

The Guardians relied on Shane Bieber coming back healthy (which hasn't happened yet) and their bullpen repeating its historically great campaign in 2024. They ignored the fact that they lack pitching depth. They refused to address their maddeningly inconsistent offense. They watched as the Detroit Tigers developed into a superpower within the division.

And now, look where they find themselves with the MLB trade deadline looming.

Cleveland is faced with the decision of having to potentially move star players like Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase, and while the Guardians currently seem hesitant to do so, they have placed themselves in a position where they may have to.

Let's be honest: Cleveland probably isn't paying Kwan. Clase is under contract on a cheap deal through 2028, but those last two years are club options. Do we really think the Guardians will exercise both of them? They were lucky Jose Ramirez accepted a hometown discount, but can anyone expect Kwan to do the same?

Cleveland is not even remotely close to a contender at this point. Its offense is an absolute mess, and it doesn't really have a true ace in its starting rotation unless Bieber returns and rediscovers his mojo.

The Guardians already made their mistake by not building upon the foundation they laid last year. In doing so, they have made it so that not trading some key pieces now would probably be an oversight. Unless you seriously believe that Cleveland will attempt to spend money to improve over the winter, and if you do, well, I have many bridges to sell you.

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