The Cleveland Guardians are heading into the final stretch before the MLB trade deadline with a clear goal, even if there’s no guarantee they’ll land the help they want.
President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said the club will explore every avenue to upgrade the roster as it tries to stay in the American League Wild Card race and keep pace near the top of the division, where it remains within striking distance of the Chicago White Sox.
“I think we’ll look at all opportunities to try to improve the team.”
Antonetti made it plain that Cleveland intends to be active in the conversation, but he also stopped well short of promising a finished deal.
“Now, whether that means we’ll ultimately be able to get to the finish line on a deal or multiple deals, I have no idea. It’s impossible to predict, but we’ll certainly try.”
If the Guardians do make a move, the need is easy to spot: offense. Run production has been a problem all season, and that showed up again in Thursday afternoon’s frustrating extra-innings loss to the Minnesota Twins, when Cleveland went 0-for-17 with just three hits even with Jose Ramirez back in the lineup.
That kind of outing only sharpens the case for help in the big-league lineup, but the Guardians have not been a team that rushes into action. Their front office tends to work the edges rather than swing wildly, though Antonetti suggested this summer could be different.
He pointed to the team’s earlier move, when Cleveland acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants, as proof the organization has already made a meaningful addition.
“Obviously, we made one significant trade in our mind already, and we’ve seen the dividends of that with the impact that (catcher Patrick Bailey has) had," Antonetti said.
With more than a week left before the deadline, the Guardians still have time to act, and they do have the prospect capital to pursue upgrades in a few different directions.
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