ESPN insider calls on Guardians to show urgency in final month of offseason

While the Cleveland Guardians have signed a variety of relievers this offseason, their offseason has still been a bit deflating due to their inaction around adding to an offense that’s dying for help. 

We got another example of that on Monday when ESPN’s Jesse Rogers published a story focusing on how the teams in the American League Central have handled the offseason. And he wasn’t very kind to the Cleveland Guardians. In Rogers’ story he ranked every team in the AL Central on an "urgency index” and gave the Guardians a rating of “four,” which was the second-lowest rating available for a team. 

“Cleveland probably isn't done adding to its pen. The Guardians will look for another arm before spring training, but it's their offense that needs the boost. A right-handed depth bat is a key need, but the organization is hoping for internal options at the plate as well. It could come in the form of budding prospects such as 2024 No. 1 draft pick Travis Bazzana. He still has work to do in the minors before making his debut. Chase DeLauter could make an impact as well after debuting late last season,” he wrote. 

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers calls on Guardians to make another move this offseason 

While Rogers also offered the Guardians some praise for their decision to upgrade the bullpen, he added another voice to the chorus of fans and pundits calling on the Guardians’ front office to make some kind of offensive addition. 

The most frustrating part of that equation is that there’s a clear way for the Guardians to upgrade their roster via a right-handed depth option, like Rogers wrote. 

Harrison Bader is arguably the best player available in that archetype, but he’s probably not going to fit into the picture since he wants a multi-year deal. But it doesn’t stop with him, as Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar highlight a strong group of B-tier free agents who could help fill the Guardians' hole on the outfield while not breaking the bank. 

All this isn’t happening in a vacuum, however. While the Guardians haven’t been very active, the rest of the division has also been fairly quiet. In fact, the biggest signing in the division has arguably been infielder Munetaka Murakami, who signed a below-market deal with the White Sox. 

The Royals and Tigers' have made a variety of deals on the margins (much like the Guardians), while the Twins’ lone signing thus far has been Josh Bell. 

The good news for the Guardians is that there’s still a chance for things to change in the division this spring thanks to the Tigers’ decision to take Tarik Skubal to an arbitration hearing for his 2026 salary.

Although that could always be the final push for the two sides to agree on a contract extension, it’s looking more and more like this saga is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

Although that’s a good sign for the Guardians, it doesn’t change the fact that they should have been more aggressive this offseason. Luckily for them, there’s still a couple weeks for them to make a splash — it just remains to be seen if they have any interest in doing so.