Cleveland Guardians: 3 things that will automatically win the offseason

1 of 3

Eli Morgan #49 of the Cleveland Guardians (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

3 ways the Cleveland Guardians can automatically win the offseason

The upcoming offseason will be a very telling one for the Cleveland Guardians. The organization is at a pivotal point. The 2021 season saw the club’s first losing season since 2012 and now changes are being made to the coaching staff. All that paired with the name change and the 2022 season could be one of the most important seasons in recent memory for the club.

The preparation for the 2022 season will be just as important. The roster building, and coaching staff building, takes place now and getting the right pieces in place will be crucial. While Cleveland didn’t win as much as they might have hoped during the regular season, they can shift the tides by “winning the offseason.”

Unlike the season, the offseason isn’t measured by pure wins and losses. The wins are all opinionated, but there’s still certain moves that can be universally viewed as a win. Moves that either change the course of the club for the better or push it closer to where the team needs to be can make the offseason a win no matter what else happens. For the Cleveland Guardians, there are three things that could do just that.

Cleveland Guardians Extend Shane Bieber

The first, and possibly the easiest, way to automatically win the offseason would be to ink the club’s ace Shane Bieber to a long-term extension. Bieber is just now entering the arbitration process and will be under team control through the 2024 season, but Cleveland has learned the value of a deal with Jose Ramirez.

With Ramirez, the team paid him a bit sooner than maybe necessary, but it has turned into one of the biggest bargains in baseball. In this case, the upside for Bieber is that he would get paid more earlier in his career. The upside for the club is that they can sign him beyond 2024 and while they might be paying him more in the short-term, he could very well turn into a huge bargain in the long-term.

The timing could also be a benefit to Cleveland. Despite winning the 2020 American League Cy Young Award with an MLB-record strikeouts per nine, Bieber’s value could be down a bit now. He missed a lot of the 2021 season due to an injury, which could potentially drop his value. Not by a lot, but enough to make a difference in waiting.

There’s also been rumors that the Dolans are willing to spend a little more this offseason to make sure the inaugural season of the Cleveland Guardians is a success. While that usually means free agents, in this case it could mean extending some of Cleveland’s best young talent to keep them in town for the long haul.

Joey Gallo #13 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Guardians sign one big name free agent

An easy way to win over majority of the fan base would be to bring in at least one big name from the free agent market. When the team signed Edwin Encarnacion following the 2016 World Series run it was viewed as a huge splash for the club. That team was in better position to make a run than the current squad, but a similar splash would create excitement about the 2022 season.

The signing would have to have some sort of youthful upside. There’s no questioning the direction that Cleveland is taking. Youth is the motto. The team isn’t planning for just 2022, but the future of the club. What we’re getting at is don’t expect big names like Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander to be on the list. That’s not the team’s plan or is in the budget.

However, players under the age of 30 that could provide two or three solid seasons could be great targets for Cleveland. Players like Joey Gallo, should he enter the market, Nick Castellanos if he opts out or even Kris Bryant as a utility player that fills multiple needs. Those are the players that could make a big splash.

Signing pieces to make the team better always helps. Adding a middle of the road catcher could be a plus, but if Cleveland really wants to create excitement for 2021 like they’re saying, then a big free agent splash would surely do the trick.

Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Guardians don’t trade any key players

This seems rather simple, but it’s actually a talking point when it comes to Cleveland. If being competitive in 2022 is the goal, which it absolutely should be, then the Cleveland Guardians can’t do what the organization has done in past offseasons. Sometimes doing less is more and that’s the approach the team needs to have when it comes to trades.

Most of Cleveland’s roster is young and will be part of the future, so tradable assets are dwindling compared to what the last couple offseasons have shown. That might be because all the top players are already gone. However, players like Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber need to stay on the roster. I don’t see them trading them, but you never know.

Last offseason saw Cleveland move Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. The year before was the Corey Kluber trade. Go back another year and the team traded away Edwin Encarnacion while letting Michael Brantley walk in free agency. Some of those moves were welcomed more than others, but the reality is the same. Cleveland is known for trading away big names in the offseason and have done it the last three years.

If Cleveland stands pat and holds on to the club’s current talent while adding additional pieces, that alone would be an automatic win considering how the team has operated in the past.

Next. Where will Cleveland be selecting in the 2022 MLB Draft?. dark

Home / Cleveland Guardians News

3 ways the Cleveland Guardians can automatically win the offseason

Cleveland Guardians Extend Shane Bieber

The Cleveland Guardians sign one big name free agent

The Cleveland Guardians don’t trade any key players

Schedule