Guardians Injuries Could Change Cleveland's Trade Deadline Plans

It was an exciting start to the season for the Cleveland Guardians. They jumped out to an early lead in the AL Central, quickly pulling away from who they thought would be their biggest competitors, the Detroit Tigers.

They were even 5-0 against the team they had faced in the playoffs the prior two years. Then, in the blink of an eye, things got ugly. Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martinez, the team’s 1-2-3 hitters, all went down in the same game.

Any team losing the top of their order would be a problem, but it especially hurts when the 27th-ranked scoring offense loses the top of their order.

Jose Ramirez is impossible to replace. Even in a down year, he already had generated 2+ WAR, and will always be the heart and soul of the Guardians lineup, and maybe even the city of Cleveland.

Luckily, Gabriel Arias was just activated off the IL, and he will fill in at 3B for the time being. He’s not Jose, but he has been a 99 OPS+ so far this season, meaning he’s essentially been a league-average hitter. He’ll also provide some pop in a lineup that’s in desperate need of power.

DeLauter and Martinez aren’t nearly as good as Ramirez; however, finding an outfielder to replace them in the Cleveland organization will be far more difficult. Petey Halpin makes his return from AAA, but I would be shocked to see him add much offensive support. Steven Kwan, Stuart Farichild, and Daniel Schneeman fill out the rest of an outfield that is the worst offensively in the sport.

Kahlil Watson is also getting the call from Columbus after slashing .255/.333/.436 with 12 HRs in AAA. He might be able to provide support to a struggling offense, but these injuries cause far bigger concerns.

Cleveland was looking like a potential buyer at the trade deadline, but I don’t see that happening now. The Guards are 25th in baseball in total home runs, and desperately need to add some power to the middle of their order.

Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Manzardo haven’t done enough to drive in runs, especially being a part of an offense that is 8th in baseball in walks. I fear that with these injuries, Cleveland’s front office is going to be far too comfortable to sit out at the trade deadline.

Jose Ramirez won’t be sidelined for the entire season, and you’ll only get so many more elite seasons out of him in his age-33 season and beyond. The Chicago White Sox are your only real competition in the AL Central, and I think you’d be insane not to try to make this roster better.

They have a war chest of talent spread throughout their minor league system, so you can easily buy at the deadline without completely stripping down your farm system.

It’ll be an interesting few weeks in Cleveland, and if they can keep the ship afloat, maybe they still make a big trade at the coming deadline.