1 controversial trade the Guardians should make at 2026 deadline and 1 they must avoid

The Guardians have a world of possibilities in front of them at the 2026 trade deadline. While the expanded postseason has changed the way the deadline operates, the Guardians are in a position where seemingly everything’s on the table. 

Although they’ve made moves at each of the past two deadlines, they were largely expected. In 224, they addressed their one clear need by adding Lane Thomas, and last season they made the no-brainer decision to trade Shane Bieber ahead of his impending free agent. 

But if there’s ever a year for the Guardians to make a big splash, this is the year to do it. They’ve played well enough to hang around in the watered-down American League central, but still have some clear needs to address on their roster. 

With all that in mind, let’s look at one controversial trade the Guardians should make before the deadline passes, and one they need to avoid making. 

1 controversial trade the Guardians should make before the 2026 deadline

The Guardians should combine Cooper Ingle and Angel Genao in a deal for a controllable right-handed bat 

Genao and Ingle seem like the top two prospects the Guardians are willing to listen to answers on, so why not rope them together into a mega package that brings in someone who can help in the short and long-term.

The Guardians lineup would immediately get better if they used the two of them to wrestle Spencer Steer away from the Reds or Casey Schmitt away from the Giants, both of whom hit right-handed, have power and multiple years of team control remaining.  

While there’s always the risk in trading away MLB-ready prospects like Ingle and Genao, neither of them have clear pathways to playing time the way the Guardians’ roster is currently constructed. 

Genao would have to fight his way through the team’s middle-infield logjam, while Ingle struggled in his first taste of MLB action (which only came because he learned a new position). 

It’s going to take a lot to trade for an impact player at this year’s deadline, and the Guardians have the prospect capital needed to make it happen. Instead of spreading that capital across multiple deals, they should push all their chips into the middle of the table in one deal. 

1 controversial trade the Guardians must avoid before the 2026 deadline

The Guardians don’t need to make a big trade for an impact reliever 

Although the Guardians bullpen is a little soft in the middle (there’s been a lot of Matt Festa this season), they should hold off on making a trade for an expensive reliever. 

Although Adrián Morejón or Luke Weaver would turn Cleveland’s bullpen into an absolute monster, they’re both going to have high asking prices that would likely require the Guardians to part with multiple prospects. 

Instead, the Guardians should pivot their approach to some of the cheaper options like Brooks Raley, JoJo Romero or Calvin Faucher. 

Cade Smith has made the ninth inning a breeze and the Guardians have multiple pitchers behind him who have looked good in high-leverage opportunities, so it’s not like it’s completely barren back there. 

Heck, they even have Daniel Espino waiting in the wings in Triple-A (though there’s a legitimate question about if he’d be able to pitch enough to make an impact in a postseason series). 

Cleveland’s bullpen isn’t as big of a liability as some other relief units in baseball, which is why they don’t need to swim in the deep end of the relief pool.

The best thing they can do with their bullpen is make some small moves on the margins while continuing to rely on the arms who got them here. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow