The Guardians are back from the break with a real chance to stay in the thick of the American League race, but not everyone on the roster is carrying the same kind of security into the second half. For three players in particular, the stretch run could decide a lot more than just how the season ends.
Slade Cecconi, Steven Kwan and Shawn Armstrong all have something on the line as Cleveland tries to keep its AL Central three-peat alive. Each has flashed enough to matter. Each has also left enough doubt to make the next few months feel especially important.
Cecconi is the one under the most immediate pressure because of where he sits in the rotation. As the No. 5 starter, he’s already operating with a thinner margin for error than the rest of Cleveland’s starting group, and the Guardians’ lack of pitching depth only sharpens that reality. He opened the year badly, then steadied himself in June with a 1.88 ERA in five games, only to stumble again with back-to-back rough starts before the All-Star Break.
There have been good moments. When Cecconi has been right, he’s used a mix of pitches to keep hitters guessing and coax weak contact.
The problem is that those outings haven’t shown up often enough. He’s clearly not on the same level as Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick, and Cleveland doesn’t have enough depth to simply move on from him during the season.
If the struggles keep coming, though, the Guardians could decide to cut bait with him at some point in the offseason.
Kwan’s situation is different, but no less uncomfortable. He came into the year looking like a strong bet to put together another All-Star type season, especially with his usual contact ability and the addition of the Automated Ball-Strike system. Instead, he reached the break with a .225/.332/.282 slashline, and that line would have looked even worse if he hadn’t finished the first half on a tear.
Defensively, Kwan has handled his shuffle without issue. Offensively, though, it looks like the tradeoff has hurt him.
Cleveland has tried to soften the blow by moving him down in the lineup, but that only goes so far. The money matters here too: Kwan is making $7.725 million this year in his second run through arbitration, and his salary is only set to climb next season.
If he can’t get things going in the second half, he could be staring at a non-tender after the season.
Armstrong’s first half back in Cleveland hasn’t gone the way anyone wanted, but his story still has time to change. He got off to an uneven start, then missed a month with a right groin strain. Since returning at the end of May, he’s been better, though he still had a rough patch at the end of June when he gave up a run in three straight games.
The biggest issue has been his walk rate, which sits at 12.4% and would be a career-high. At the same time, hitters haven’t exactly been fooled, chasing just 23.7% of the time. Even with the Guardians likely to add a reliever or two before the trade deadline, Armstrong remains part of the bullpen picture.
And that’s why his role matters. At some point, a game that really counts is going to land on Armstrong’s shoulders, with one or two outs hanging in the balance. That moment could wind up defining the Guardians’ season.
In Other News...
Guardians Trade Deadline Pressure Just Spiked After Brutal Outfield Update
The Guardians outfield depth took another hit this week when CJ Kayfus, a prospect who had been part of the clubs fallback plan, was forced out of the picture after ankle surgery. Kayfus had recently been optioned to Triple-A, but his presence still mattered as a potential next man up if injuries or inconsistency thinned out the major league group again.
Now the front office has a tougher read on what it can afford to wait out as the trade deadline approaches. Losing Kayfus as a minor-league safety net does not just trim one name from the depth chart, it sharpens the need to consider outside help, and Cleveland may have to decide sooner rather than later whether to add another outfielder or trust the internal shuffle a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Finally Found Their Right-Handed Bat Fix
The Guardians have spent much of the season looking for a right-handed bat that can deepen the lineup and make the roster less vulnerable to matchups late in games. One possible answer has emerged in the form of a trade idea with Cincinnati, where a versatile hitter with defensive value could give Cleveland a more balanced option without forcing a complete reshuffle of the roster.
The appeal is obvious, but so is the price. Any deal would likely hinge on how aggressively the Reds value their player and how willing Cleveland is to part with minor league depth to get it done, which is the kind of trade-off the front office has to weigh carefully this time of year. For now, it remains a fit worth watching because it checks the one box the Guardians have been chasing, even if the path to making it happen is still murky. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Quietly Let Another Promising Outfield Bat Slip Away
A promising outfield bat who once looked like part of Clevelands future is getting a fresh start elsewhere after the Guardians moved on and he landed with the Phillies on a two-year minor league deal. The change of scenery comes after a season interrupted by a shoulder injury, a setback that slowed a player who had shown real offensive upside in the organization before things went sideways.
He is already back in game action with High-A Jersey Shore, which gives Philadelphia a chance to see whether there is still more to unlock. For Cleveland, it is another reminder of how quickly a developmental path can change, especially when injuries start to chip away at the progress a young hitter has made. [Read more 🡒]