Guardians MLB trade deadline primer: Are they buyers? Sellers? Neither?

New York Times

6 hours ago

The 2023 vibes are strong with the 2025 Guardians.
Two years ago, on the heels of a surprisingly stellar season, Cleveland treaded water for months, with an inept offense, an uncharacteristically shaky closer and an inability to piece together an inspiring stretch. Sound familiar?
Two years ago, that performance compelled the front office to ship out Amed Rosario, Aaron Civale and Josh Bell at the trade deadline. Are these Guardians headed for a similar fate in late July?
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Here are three early storylines to watch around the Guardians and the July 31 trade deadline.
Carlos Santana is the obvious answer, since Kyle Manzardo can handle first base and C.J. Kayfus is ready for an audition. But how much trade value does a 39-year-old have, even one defying Father Time the way Santana has this season? As a rental player in the twilight of his career, he wouldn't fetch the club much, but it would at least create an opening for a prospect who deserves an extended look. Kayfus has been learning corner outfield at Triple-A Columbus, but first base is his primary position.
Other than Santana, there's not much to dangle on the trade market. While the Guardians could try to recoup something for Lane Thomas, who is eligible for free agency this winter, they would be selling low on a guy having a snakebitten season one year after they dealt pitcher Alex Clemmey, their second-round pick in 2023, for him.
The Guardians' rotation is under team control for the long haul, aside from Shane Bieber, who has escaped trade season the last two summers because of injuries. He could rejoin the rotation sometime in July or early August, assuming there are no more setbacks in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. If the Guardians are completely out of the race, perhaps they could gauge his value. It's a tricky situation, given Bieber has made four starts in the last 24 months, and he has a $16 million player option (or a $4 million buyout) for next year. Plus, he re-signed with Cleveland in part because of his comfort and familiarity with the organization's pitching and medical experts, so it'd probably be worth checking with him before, say, sending him to the Cubs.
What about closer Emmanuel Clase? He's due $6.4 million next season, with $10 million club options in 2027 and '28. The Guardians are always angling to move a pitcher before it's too late, and Clase seems like a prime candidate to be mentioned on the hot stove this winter. They could listen on him this summer, too, but they might prefer to use the second half to confirm he's still the same guy who finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season. This would be slightly easier for the Guardians to stomach if Andrew Walters hadn't undergone surgery to repair a torn lat last week.
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The American League standings are … a mess. The Yankees, Tigers and Astros lead their divisions and then it's pure chaos. The Rays, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Guardians, Twins, Mariners and Rangers all probably think they can claim a wild-card spot, at worst. The Royals and Angels might be clutching onto faint hope, too. There's a ton of parity. Or mediocrity. Whichever framing you prefer.
Because of that, for the Guardians to truly stumble into the role of an unquestioned seller would require six more weeks of what we've witnessed from them since the end of that promising series in Detroit on Memorial Day weekend. To vault themselves into unequivocal buyer territory would require a surge. There have been no hints of a surge.
Last year, there was no debate about how the Guardians needed to approach the deadline. They signed Matthew Boyd and traded for Thomas and Alex Cobb to patch the greatest deficiencies on their roster. The Tigers, holding the largest division lead in the league, are in the same boat this year. The Guardians, meanwhile, don't feel like they're a tweak or two from title contention.
A hitter, another hitter, maybe a third hitter — OK, and maybe a reliever.
The Guardians rank at or near the bottom of the league in production at center field, right field and shortstop. Kayfus, Chase DeLauter and Juan Brito are in-house options who could potentially remedy some of those shortcomings in the coming weeks, but there's no guarantee they rescue the lineup from the pit it has resided in all season.
There's always space for an acquisition who is under control beyond this season. Center field and right field haven't just been an issue in 2025 … or the last few years. They've been searching for long-term solutions at those spots for more than a decade.
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Assuming the Guardians don't chase down the Tigers and assert themselves as a juggernaut over the next six weeks, the most sensible method of buying would be an opportunistic move to address an issue not just for 2025, but for the future. (In other words, an outfielder with multiple years of control. Wait, you're telling me they did this last summer? Yikes.) The question, of course, would be whether they're willing to outbid myriad other contenders for said target.
They could instead use the second half to continue to evaluate the young players they've spent the first three months of the season evaluating: Manzardo, Gabriel Arias, Johnathan Rodríguez, Brayan Rocchio, Jhonkensy Noel, Nolan Jones, Angel Martínez, Daniel Schneemann and, eventually, DeLauter, Kayfus and Brito, maybe even Petey Halpin. Yes, that would feel like wasting a dazzling season by a 32-year-old José Ramírez. Yes, that would be a failure after a run to the ALCS that feels like eight years ago, not eight months ago. As things stand, this feels like a team that will have a quiet deadline or participate in some light shuffling, but nothing that will alter the course of the season.
(Top photo of Carlos Santana: Tony Dejak / Associated Press)