A Summer Slump May Have Sealed the Guardians’ Deadline Fate

What a difference two and a half weeks can make. Just ask the Cleveland Guardians.

On June 25, the Guardians evened their series with the Blue Jays with a 5-4, extra-inning victory. It brought their record to 40-38, 8.5 games behind the Tigers for second place in the AL Central and a half game out of the final Wild Card spot.

It wasn’t exactly where a team that is coming off a 92-69 record and a division title might have hoped to be at that point in the season. But it certainly could’ve been much worse.

Now, having arrived at the All-Star break, teams have to look themselves in the mirror and determine whether they have the roster to make a playoff run in the second half of the season. Two and a half weeks ago, the Guardians might have thought they were one of those teams.

They might not think that anymore.

Cleveland would fall flat in the final game of that Blue Jays series, getting shut out 6-0 in the rubber match. That would start a freefall that would quickly change the trajectory of their season.

The Guardians would end up getting swept in each of their next three series, once each by the Cardinals, Cubs, and Tigers. They were shut out four more times over that span.

When all was said and done, Cleveland was staring at a 10-game losing streak. They were down to eight games under .500 and fourth place in the AL Central.

The Guardians have recovered since then and are now 46-49 heading into the All-Star break. But that’s likely not where they expected to be at this point in the year when the season began, let alone what they expected two and a half weeks ago.

The Guardians Have Fallen Short of High Expectations

The 2024 season went almost as well as Guardians fans could have imagined. With rookie manager Stephen Vogt at the helm, they took back the AL Central with a 92-win season that was tied for their most wins in five years.

And the fun didn’t stop there. Cleveland won their ALDS matchup, advancing to the championship series for the first time since 2016. They would end up being eliminated by the Yankees.

The Guardians didn’t make a ton of noise in the offseason. Most of their moves were in an attempt to reduce payroll, such as trading away infielder Andrés Giménez and first baseman Josh Naylor.

Still, Cleveland had enough of a talented core remaining that they were at least expected to be competitive in the division. That was indeed the case until the untimely losing streak started to torpedo their season.

Now they sit three games under .500 and 12 games behind the Tigers for fourth place in the AL Central. They are 4.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot but have four other teams between them and that spot.

That’s not an impossible gap to close by any means. But what have the Guardians shown so far to make anyone think they can make a true championship run in 2025? They might be better off selling some assets at the deadline and retooling for next season.

What Trade Chips Do the Guardians Have To Sell?

Luckily for the Guardians, they have the potential to capitalize on their current predicament. Teams that are competing for playoff spots will be looking to upgrade their rosters at the end of the month, and the Guardians can help in that regard.

Their most obvious trade candidate is first baseman Carlos Santana. The ageless wonder is having a solid enough season (.235 AVG, .696 OPS, 11 HR, 41 RBI) that he could be dealt to a team that could use some pop off the bench.

Though his trade value isn’t exactly high due to poor performance and a current IL stint, outfielder Lane Thomas has seen his name in trade rumors since before the season began. A team could look to get him for cheap as a backup outfielder and hope that a stretch of good health and a change in scenery could help him out.

If the Guardians really want to make a splash, though, they could look to trade star closer Emmanuel Clase. The reigning AL Reliever of the Year hasn’t been as insanely unstoppable as last year, but he has still been very good with 20 saves and a 3.05 ERA.

It is far from a certainty that he would be traded, but there are reasons why Cleveland might want to. Closer performance becomes volatile with age, he would fetch a nice haul, and the money-conscious Guardians may want to move him before 2027, when they have to decide on his $10 million team option.

For most teams outside of Cleveland, though, that is quite affordable for a reliever of Clase’s caliber. If teams get even a hint that he might be available, GM Mike Chernoff’s phone will start ringing nonstop.

Getting some pieces for the future would be great, but it would also be an unfortunate white flag on the season for the Guardians. If not for this month’s long losing streak, we might be having an entirely different conversation.