Guardians' offseason activity a contributing factor in being part of undesirable list

It is no secret that the offseason activity of the Cleveland Guardians has produced a wide range of opinions. Some view the roster shuffle and handful of low-cost flier signings as a necessary method of operation to maintain a certain level of competitiveness. Others are significantly less optimistic about their transactions, resulting in making an appearance on an undesirable list.

The Guardians were named as one of 7 MLB Teams That'll Have a Worse Record in 2025 by Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly. Cleveland was one of two teams that call the American League Central division home, as the Detroit Tigers were also named to this list.

As expected, the swap of Josh Naylor for Carlos Santana was not met with enthusiasm here. Kelly believes that Santana will be unlikely to match Naylor's offensive production from last season, and that is a concern that should be taken seriously. Granted, Naylor might not even be able to duplicate his 31 home runs and 108 runs batted in from 2024, but he does seem more likely to do so than the soon-to-be 39-year-old Santana.

Trading Andres Gimenez and the remainder of his contract was viewed better due to the impending arrival of Travis Bazzana. However, losing his defensive abilities is going to be felt, with Kelly saying, "...it's going to be impossible to replace his glove.". When it comes to his offense, however, there is a reason why the Guardians were willing to part ways with Gimenez, as his lack of production at the plate makes it difficult to justify his salary, given their financial limitations. The front office believes they would be better off investing money once earmarked for Gimenez elsewhere if they can get better offensive production at second base.

The one area of the roster that could affect the Guardians the most in 2025 is their pitching staff. Cleveland's starting rotation managed to get by last season, with their bullpen picking up a ton of slack. Considering the current makeup of their rotation is very similar to that of last season, this could be a problem.

"Even a small regression from this unit will put more pressure on a starting rotation that still looks pretty thin after Tanner Bibee, even once former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber returns." writes Kelly regarding a possible negative outcome for 2025. Cleveland is going to need their rotation to be a more consistent and stable unit to help avoid this situation entirely and take some pressure off of their bullpen to carry the load for the second consecutive season.

The one thing that should always be mentioned when evaluating the way the Guardians operate is they have, more often than not, been a successful team, even after having offseasons very similar to this one. As long as this process continues to deliver stable results with a talent floor that can be considered relatively high, there is no reason to doubt what they are capable of.