The city of Kansas Those responsible for improving the Guardians are under pressure.
51-51 is the team’s score. They are now 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers in first place in the American League Central after losing 10 straight games.
So why should Mike Chernoff, Chris Antonetti, and the other G’s decision-makers be under pressure? For the remainder of the season, they can simply call in.
Not exactly.
Lately, the Guardians have been playing better. They led 6-1 going into the All-Star break. With series victories against the A’s and Orioles coming out of the break, they have increased that to an 11-3 rout.
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More games are being played by the starting rotation. An offense that has been slack is suddenly exploding. Pitching has returned to normal in the bullpen.
In contrast, the Tigers have dropped ten of their previous eleven games. The Guardians are now in second place in the Central, 7 1/2 games behind Detroit, after falling as low as fourth place. The remaining six games between the two clubs are scheduled for late September.
The Guardians are two and a half games out of third and last place in the wild card chase. At the moment, the Red Sox lead Tampa Bay by 1 1/2 games and Texas by a half game.
Although the Guardians are currently in third place, five teams were ahead of them in the race for the last postseason berth at one point during their free fall.
Cleveland will meet the Royals in a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, the first of 60 games remaining. For weeks, scouts have been pursuing them, eager to jump in and grab their top players for their final pushes. Meanwhile, the Guardians are assembling their own team.
Or are they?
Antonetti and Chernoff need to decide that. Is this a lucky accident or a mirage for a squad that will play breakeven for the remainder of the season? Or are they a legitimate postseason team?
That’s the source of the heat. The Guardians must choose whether to remain in the race or not by the trade deadline on Thursday. There are numerous factors to take into account:
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They need to continue to see how the Guardians perform in the last six games before the deadline. After this three-game series against the Royals (50-53), they play three against the Rockies (27-76) at home.
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They have to continue to evaluate how they rate against other AL contenders.
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They have to evaluate their chances of not only reaching the postseason, but advancing if they do. More importantly, what would it cost them to do so?
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They have to make deals with an eye on the present and the future. Under the current leadership, the Guardians have never put the future of the franchise at risk because of an overreach in the present.
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They have to make intelligent decisions based on research, scouting and analytics, while keeping emotions at bay.
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They have to remember that their hot streak is taking place because of a soft spot in the schedule. Yes, they started it with a sweep of AL West-leading Houston, but the Astros were ravaged by injuries.
Since the Guardians have advanced to the postseason seven times in the previous 13 years, they have experienced this drill multiple times.
Last year, they reached the ALCS with the help of Lane Thomas, who they acquired at the last minute from the Nationals.
They traded veterans Aaron Civale, Josh Bell, and Amed Rosario just before the 2023 trade deadline, giving up on the season. On July 31, they sent Civale to the Rays in exchange for Kyle Manzardo. They were 53-54 and one game out of first place in the AL Central at the time of the transaction.
They are statistically in the worst position this season, but aside from a few veterans, the players that have been floated as trade targets are better than Rosario, Civale, and Bell.
It is possible to trade Carlos Santana. If healthy, so could Lane Thomas. But closer Emmanuel Clase or Gold Glove left fielder Steven Kwan?
Not to mention the other players in the clubhouse, it would require some significant explanation to a fan base that has visited Progressive Field in large numbers this season.
Clase and right-hander Cade Smith, who some believe is the closer-in-waiting, are not available, according to sources who spoke to the Guardians. Kwan would be difficult to move after two years of dominance.
However, pressure from deadlines leads to trades.
As the deadline draws closer, manager Stephen Vogt discussed the atmosphere in the clubhouse.
“If you let it be, it can be challenging,” Vogt remarked. Or perhaps it’s, “Hey, let’s just go play.” There are currently twenty-six men present. Let’s go out there and win a match.
It’s only rumors at the moment. Whether we like it or not, what is going to happen in a week will happen. Either we are happy or we are sad.
We’ll find out in time.
