This label could hurt the Cleveland Guardians in possible trade discussions.
The Cleveland Guardians have never been big spenders in free agency. The front office has instead focused on the summer amateur draft and the international signing period to bolster the farm system and build the big league roster.
Rarely do the Guardians give up prospects for proven MLB talent, which is one of the reasons Cleveland’s deal for Lane Thomas centered around RHP prospect Alex Clemmey came as such a shock.
Fans have long been begging for the front office to give up some of their minor league talent to get Jose Ramirez some help on offense and to build a true World Series-contending roster while the superstar is still in his prime, but the organization has been reluctant to give up on young, controllable talent.
It’s not just the Guardians faithful who feel that Cleveland holds onto its prospects for too long. In a recent executive poll conducted by MLB.com, the Guardians received the title for the organization that “hoards prospects” the most, finishing with 34.1 percent of the vote.
A ball cap sports the Cleveland Guardians logo in the third inning of the MLB Inter-league game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. © Sam Greene via Imagn ImagesFor reference, the Pittsburgh Pirates came in second place after receiving 9.1 percent of the votes.
“In the previous two years, it’s been the Guardians and the Orioles at the top. Baltimore has slid down the list, though it hangs on to its core. Cleveland promotes heavily from within and has long been considered a team that would rather give its prospects a chance to make it at home rather than raid the cupboard to bring in big league talent,” wrote Jonathan Mayo.
This probably isn't a title an organization wants to have, especially heading into any potential trade negotiations with another club.
That said, it’s hard to argue with this label; the Guardians have a long history of holding on to prospects too long, and then they don’t pan out at the big-league level, or they lose their trade value before being dealt.
It’s understandable that the Guardians feel they can’t be too free with trading prospects and risk hurting the future of the franchise. But at some point, you may have to take a risk with trading a prospect to get an MLB-caliber play that can help the team win now.
Time will tell if 2026 will finally be the year Cleveland pools some of their prospects together to create a trade package for an impact, proven big-league bat. It’s possible, but history tells us it’s unlikely.