The Cleveland Guardians are actively trying to find ways to improve the big-league roster before the MLB trade deadline.
The Cleveland Guardians aren't playing their best baseball right now. Even manager Stephen Vogt admitted the team "is going through it" after their loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday evening.
That said, the team's goal for Monday's trade deadline is clear: they want to improve the big-league roster, and Cleveland's President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, reiterated that after the Bo Naylor trade on Saturday morning.
The Guardians exec cautioned, "it's hard to forecast," but the front office is still heading into the deadline intent on making upgrades.
"It's a very active time of year. We're have a lot of conversations, and our goal is to find a way to improve the team," Antonetti explained.
Everyone knows where any potential upgrades must come if the Guardians want to get back to the postseason in 2026. Cleveland simply needs more proven hitters in the middle of the lineup.
Even though another right-handed bat to balance out Cleveland's heavy left-handed lineup would be nice, Antonetti did make it clear that the team isn't restricting its search to just one type of player.
"Just for clarity, I don't think we're limiting our scope to just right-hand hitters. We are trying to find ways to improve the offense."
Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, and Jo Adell are all widely regarded as trade candidates on their original teams. Could a trade be in the works for one of them?
Adding another bat, or two, is much easier said than done, though, especially with the current landscape of both the American League and National League postseason picture.
Antonetti pointed out, "It's definitely created a different dynamic with the additional wild card this year. In particular, with so many teams that are clustered together, and only, you know, either in the postseason or only a few games back... It's definitely challenging."
While the Guardians continue to search for external upgrades and options to improve the roster, Antonetti also made it clear that another focus must be on figuring out how to get the most out of the players currently on the team.
"Most importantly, we need to make sure we're doing what we can with the group that's here to help them continue to get better," Antonetti continued.
"Because no matter who we bring in from the outside, no one or two people are going to change the trajectory of our season. We need the group that's here to continue to work towards playing to their potential."
Cleveland isn't an organization known for being a major buyer at the trade deadline.
However, given how adamant Antonetti has been that the team needs to be better, it wouldn't be surprising if the Guardians made one or two more moves before Monday evening.
