The Guardians: Watching Free Agency Traffic Drive-By
With the lockout officially concluded and free agency open, almost every team in baseball is looking to make moves. The Blue Jays have added stars like Matt Chapman, the Royals signed Zach Greinke, Kris Bryant is heading to Colorado and even the Tampa Bay Rays made a big push for Freddie Freeman.
Yet there is no talk about the Cleveland Guardians.
After a lackadaisical rebrand this offseason and promises to make positive changes to Cleveland baseball, the Guardians front office has nothing to show for it. Other small-market teams like the Rays and Royals are looking to spend money to improve while the Guardians keep looking to cut payroll. The only chatter the Guardians have generated are Jose Ramirez trade rumors.
It is not as if the team does not have the assets to make a big trade or the cap space to sign a marquee free agent. They have a solid prospect list which includes Brayan Rocchio, Logan Allen, Nolan Jones, Gabriel Arias, etc. These players could end up making an impact down the line for them, but due to the amount of talent in the Guardians’ minor league system, they could be dealt to bring in a win-now player like Austin Meadows (to name one). Of course, it doesn’t have to be any of the names mentioned, but any sort of deal to improve the subpar major league roster would help.
To most observers, it may seem unlikely, but free agency could also be an option. With the Guardians in dire need of corner outfielders, it’s astonishing they couldn’t have spent the six to seven million dollars needed to sign someone like Joc Pederson.
The Guardians may be in a small market where it is tough to draw big free agents, but they definitely should not be as frugal and uninvolved in free agency as they are now. The front office and the Dolans need to either get to work and stop pretending the lockout is still going on, or sell the team.
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