The Cleveland Guardians have enough reasons to keep one eye on the present and the other on the future, and that’s exactly why Tarik Skubal should stay off their trade board.
With the 2026 MLB trade deadline approaching, the Guardians are still hanging around the AL Central race, sitting percentage points behind the surprising Chicago White Sox. They’ve managed to stay in the mix even with Jose Ramirez sidelined, and Ramirez has recently taken a positive step in his recovery. But if Cleveland wants to finish the job in the second half, it likely needs help in more than one area - probably two trades to shore up both the pitching staff and the lineup.
That said, this is not the moment to chase the biggest name available.
Skubal is the kind of arm every contender dreams about. He’s the best trade target in baseball, and there’s no real debate there.
But the price would be steep, and for Cleveland, it would be too steep. The Guardians have six players ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball, a group led by first baseman Ralphy Velazquez, who is expected to arrive in 2027, according to MLB.com.
The rest of that prospect haul includes SS Angel Genao, C Cooper Ingle, RHP Braylon Doughty, OF Jaison Chourio, and OF Juneiker Caceres.
That kind of depth is exactly why Cleveland shouldn’t cash in future pieces for a two-month rental. Skubal would likely require at least two of those prospects, and if he didn’t carry the Guardians all the way to the World Series, the damage would be double-edged: no title this year, and a thinner pipeline for the years ahead.
There’s also the simple reality that the Guardians don’t know what they’re getting from Ramirez when he comes back from the hamate-bone injury. If he isn’t himself, the team’s postseason ceiling drops fast. Cleveland has shown flashes this summer - a strong start, a rough stretch after Ramirez went down, then a bounce back into the All-Star break after avoiding a Twins sweep and sweeping the previously hot Marlins - but that still doesn’t make a Skubal gamble look wise.
Austin Hedges put the mood in blunt terms when he talked to The Athletic: “Winning is great,” Hedges said, “because losing sucks, because sucking sucks. There is no glory without sucking.
And suffering and overcoming things. We’re being tested right now.”
The better path for Cleveland may be the one that keeps the long game intact. Zack Meisel wrote that “The nucleus is already in place with Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter, José Ramírez and a formidable rotation,” and added that those pieces point toward targeting players with multiple years of control. He also noted, “If an upgrade or two helps the Guardians in 2026, awesome.
“If not, the core should have this team competing the next few years. Think of this like 2011, when Cleveland surprised a lot of people by trading for Ubaldo Jiménez. That trade didn’t pay dividends until 2013.”
That’s the real warning here. Cleveland can be active at the deadline.
It probably should be. But it should not get so aggressive that it empties the cupboard for a star who might not be enough by himself.
In Other News...
Guardians Rookie Suddenly Running Out Of Time To Lock Down Role
Khalil Watsons first taste of the majors came with the usual rookie growing pains, but the Guardians had reason to be encouraged when he put together a strong nine-game run in late June. For a stretch, the young outfielder looked like he might be settling in and giving Cleveland a real answer in the outfield mix, which matters for a club trying to sort out its everyday options on the fly.
Since the calendar flipped to July, though, the momentum has faded, and the margin for error is getting thinner by the day. Watsons bat has gone quiet enough that his place in the lineup is no longer secure, and if he cannot turn the production back around soon, the Guardians may have to decide whether to keep giving him chances in Cleveland or send him back to the minors for more seasoning. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Face A Tough Call On A Crowded Infielder
Gabriel Arias has been one of the more interesting roster pieces in Cleveland lately, not because of where he was expected to fit long term, but because of how quickly his situation has changed. After working his way back from injury in the minors, the infielder was recently recalled to cover for a teammate, giving the Guardians another look at a player who has spent much of the year trying to reestablish himself.
Now the bigger question is whether Cleveland can keep finding room for him. The infield is getting crowded, and with the trade deadline approaching, a player like Arias could draw attention from clubs looking for help and control beyond this season. For the Guardians, it is the kind of decision that can get complicated fast: hold onto a useful piece and hope the roster sorts itself out, or use his value now while the market is still there. [Read more 🡒]