The Cleveland Guardians got a breather Monday when rain washed out their game against the Cincinnati Reds, and they probably needed it. A five-game losing streak has hit at the wrong time, with the trade deadline looming and the standings getting tighter by the day.
That skid has already pushed Cleveland down in Bleacher Report’s latest MLB power rankings, where the Guardians slipped from No. 12 to No. 13. Joel Reuter pointed to the team’s fading playoff outlook after the sweep by the Rays, while also noting the return of Jose Ramirez from the injured list.
“The Guardians’ playoff chances fell from 62.0 to 48.8 percent after getting swept by the Rays, though they did welcome back Jose Ramirez from the injured list last week. The face of the franchise missed 30 games with a broken hamate bone in his left hand, and his return to action will be more impactful than anything they decide to do at the deadline,” Joel Reuter wrote.
Ramirez was supposed to steady the offense, but the early returns have been quiet. In four games back, he’s 3-for-16, and over his last three he’s 1-for-11 as Cleveland managed just one run total. Angel Martinez is back too after a foot injury, but he hasn’t found much rhythm yet either, going 0-for-11 in three games.
The Guardians enter Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader in a crowded race. They’re two games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the division, with three games separating them in the loss column, and they sit one game ahead of the third-place Minnesota Twins.
In the power rankings, the White Sox are No. 9 and the Twins are No. 14.
Cleveland’s cushion in the AL Wild Card picture has also shrunk. The Guardians are still in the third spot, but the Boston Red Sox have moved ahead of them, and the Twins, Astros, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles are all within two games. The Detroit Tigers are four back, and the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays are five behind.
With the Aug. 3 deadline approaching, the American League standings could look very different soon. The Guardians’ challenge is simple: keep from getting swallowed up by the chaos.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Hold More Deadline Leverage Than Anyone Expected
The catching market around the deadline may have shifted in Clevelands favor, and not because of anything the Guardians did on the field. With one of the more obvious names at the position suddenly unavailable, clubs looking for help behind the plate may have to turn to the next tier of options, which puts a spotlight on Clevelands own pair of catchers. That is the kind of twist front offices notice quickly, especially when a team has multiple players who could fit different kinds of trade talks.
Bo Naylor and Cooper Ingle now sit in a more interesting spot than they did a few days ago. Naylor, who was sent to Triple-A in May, has put together a solid run there and still comes with years of control, while Ingle brings prospect appeal even as his long-term defensive home remains unsettled. For Cleveland, the question is no longer just whether either catcher has value, but whether a market thinned by one injury could push that value higher before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Worry About The Future
The Guardians are heading into the trade deadline with more than one roster question hanging over them, and the front office appears set to wait until the final stretch before making its biggest moves. Cleveland is reportedly looking to add a hitter, a familiar kind of deadline need for a club trying to keep its offense from stalling down the stretch, while the organization also has to keep one eye on the draft after a second-round pick announced he would not sign.
There was at least one brighter note around the franchise on the Hall of Fame side of things, where Paul Hoynes was honored with the Baseball Writers Career Excellence Award. Even so, the larger conversation around Cleveland is still about what comes next, and whether the team can turn a tense few days into help for a lineup that clearly needs it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Deadline Plans Just Took A Brutal Turn At The Plate
Spencer Steers injury in Cincinnati has already rippled beyond the Reds, because it changes the market for a right-handed bat the Guardians had been watching. With Steer headed to the injured list and expected to miss significant time, Clevelands deadline planning suddenly has to account for a thinner pool of available hitters, which is never where a contender wants to be this late in July.
So the Guardians are left sorting through the fallback options, and the names that keep coming up each carry a different kind of risk. Casey Schmitt offers versatility, Isaac Paredes brings a more defined offensive profile, and Jo Adell has the kind of power that can tempt a front office even when the rest of the package is less tidy. For Cleveland, the challenge now is finding a bat that fits both the lineup and the ballpark, and the Steer injury makes that search a lot messier than it was a day ago. [Read more 🡒]