Cleveland Guardians trade deadline: Don’t be sad it’s over, smile because it happened

“What the heck is this guy talking about?”

That’s probably what you’re wondering after reading the title of this article. And no, this isn’t some kind of early ought’s pop-punk song title (though I’m sure a band like Fall Out Boy would consider it).

No, after having a few days to digest the trade deadline, and the Guardians’ lack of moves, let’s finally take a look at it.

A Review of Cleveland’s Inaction at the 2022 Trade Deadline

The 2022 trade deadline approached with visions of grandeur. The Guardians were going to acquire Bryan Reynolds, Cedric Mullins, Ian Happ, Sean Murphy, Josh Bell, Tyler Mahle, David Robertson, and Luis Castillo. Small problem, though – that didn’t happen at all. As a matter of fact, Cleveland didn’t even come close to that.

Instead, the Guardians made one singular move; they traded catcher Sandy León for relief pitcher Ian Hamilton. Was it it a complete botched opportunity? No, but it was disappointing considering the team was one game out of first place heading into the deadline.

So how do I figure this wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the club in the past decade? Easy. Had the club added any of these trades it would have prevented (or at the very least, made it extremely difficult) bringing up any more youngsters. Thus far, since the trade deadline has come to pass, we have already seen Tyler Freeman and Hunter Gaddis get the call up.

Following Gaddis’s start against Houston, the club will have seen 13 prospects make their MLB debut this season. The front office also came out early in the season and stated that it did not want to block the progress of any of their prospects. So why should we have truly thought that this trade deadline would be any different?

Again, it’s disappointing that a bullpen arm wasn’t added to the mix. Yes, Hamilton has had a nice season in Triple-A and maybe he can contribute, but I’m not expecting that. However, the fact that we are seeing what the youngsters can do is exciting, too. Steven Kwan and Andrés Giménez have proven that they belong in the everyday lineup. Others like Nolan Jones and Oscar Gonzalez have shown flashes as well. It’s also been well-documented that the Guardians will have another roster crunch this offseason, as the 40-man roster needs to be set before the Rule 5 draft.

All of that said, I would be shocked if there weren’t a few moves made this offseason. This team is progressing about a year ahead of schedule, and as the old adage goes, “Nothing is promised.” But I feel pretty confident the Guardians won’t be hampered by a lack of moves like this past deadline.

Be on the lookout for even more prospects to make their debut this season; there’s quite a bit of pitching talent still in Columbus. Maybe Naylor’s kid brother, Bo, makes his debut, too. Either way, getting looks at these guys this season is way move valuable than burying them behind some rental for the last two months of the season.