The Cleveland Guardians lost three of their best players over the weekend to injuries. One of them is the franchise cornerstone, Jose Ramirez, who is the heart and soul of the team. They also had two of their starting outfielders go down with injuries. Angel Martinez will be on the IL with a fractured bone in his foot. Chase DeLauter is currently day-to-day with a rib injury, but could be placed on the injured list.
The most severe injury, unfortunately, occurred to Ramirez, who will be out for five to seven weeks after having hamate bone surgery. These injuries are a massive blow to the team offensively and defensively. The next month or so will tell a lot about the Guardians’ depth and character.
The three players currently injured contribute to the majority of the Guardians’ offense. So if the team wants to win ball games, they are going to have to get production somewhere else. On the positive side, the infield looks promising with Brayan Rocchio having a breakout season, Travis Bazzana getting better each game, and Kyle Manzardo finally starting to hit. The third base position becomes a mystery, but that’s where Gabriel Arias comes into play. An inconsistent player at the MLB level could finally get the everyday at-bats to solidify himself as a part of this future.
The outfield is pretty thin without Martinez and DeLauter, especially with Steven Kwan having an atrocious season at the plate. Daniel Scheenmann has played a good center field this year, but has been a below-average player at the plate. In AAA, the team has options to call up if needed. Khalil Watson is a name to watch with his impressive season in Columbus, where he has an .861 OPS in 56 games. Another player who could be called up is Cooper Ingle, who is a catcher who can play the outfield. He has maintained a .940 OPS in 46 games in AAA, making him one of Cleveland’s best prospects.
The Stuart Fairchild experience has gone as planned with his 50% strikeout rate. Petey Halpin has also been disappointing in his brief appearances, hitting just .161 with a .382 OPS. This wave of injuries has hurt the Guardians’ outfield much more than the infield. The club will have to rely on its depth and prospects to score some runs for a while.
The Guardians could very well make a trade to give this offense a boost. While this isn’t typically their approach, this situation is different. Contending for the AL Central once again should make the team buyers rather than sellers at the deadline. Despite losing Ramirez for a decent chunk of time, this team should still be in contention come September. So, what players could you acquire to help them win now?
Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox could be a legit trade piece. The Red Sox have been very disappointing this year and could sell at the trade deadline. Duran is in a crowded outfield where he doesn’t really have a role when the team is at full strength. Therefore, a change of scenery could do him well.
Another avenue the Guardians could go is pitching, which has been the most successful part of the team this year. The bullpen could use another reliever, and someone with experience as a setup man late in games. The starting pitching has been great, but a solidified starter wouldn’t be a bad addition for the right price.
Lastly, the Guardians could use the services of a right-handed power bat. Rhys Hoskins this season has been pretty mediocre and someone the Guardians can’t rely on. Jeff Passan recently came out with players who could make sense for Cleveland and mentioned Christian Walker and Wilson Contreras. Both bring much-needed power to this lineup along with experience. All of these moves make sense for a team in need of offense during a key stretch in the season.
While the Guardians sit in a good spot, the next month is crucial for the rest of the season. They will face the White Sox twice and could set the tone for the divisional race. Mentioned above, their farm system offers them many viable options to improve the lack of offense, but changes will need to be made sooner rather than later.
These injuries are not season-ending ones, making it even more important for this team to stay at the top of the AL Central when these players return. There are many different ways Cleveland can pursue this: trust the depth in the organization, or make a move to acquire offense. Whatever the team decides to do, people should have full faith in them, considering their success in the last decade.
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