3 horrible moves that doomed the Cleveland Guardians in 2023

Despite coming into 2023 with high hopes, this season did not go as planned. Only a handful of games remain on the schedule as this disappointing campaign comes to a close. There are plenty of reasons why this team struggled this year, but it is these three moves in particular that doomed the Cleveland Guardians in 2023.

1. Not adding a real outfielder into the mix

The primary outfielders in Cleveland this year have been Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, and Will Brennan, with Kwan being the best of the three. The problem with this mix is that this is a group is that they lack home run power. This trio has totaled 11 home runs this season entering play on Thursday September 21st. To call this embarassing and unacceptable is an understatement.

The fact that the front office was comfortable coming into the season with power devoid outfield group is baffling. Granted, they did give Oscar Gonzalez a chance to build upon the end of his 2022 season, but it has become quite clear that he is not capable of being a consistent threat in the lineup.

This is a team that came into 2023 needing a power bat in the outfield and will finish 2023 needing a power bat in the outfield. Sure, there are a couple of prospects in the system who can mash, but concerns about health and whether or not their skillset translates to the major league level exist.

Adding an outfield bat who can actually hit via free agency or the trade market is an absolute necessity, as their unwillingless to do so this season contributed to the team's downfall this season.

2. Hanging on to Amed Rosario for far too long

Besides a select few members of the television broadcast crew, it was very clear that Amed Rosario's time as the Guardians' shortstop was on life support. Additionally, Rosario's limited range defensively, paired with recent ban of the shift, made his lack of offensive production significantly less palatable than it would have been in previous years.

It would be one thing if Rosario was a better defensive player or if he was not an incredibly frustrating offensive player seemingly locked into the second spot of the order. But considering that Rosario's skills on defense are less than ideal, compounded with his unaccpetable performance in the batter's box, put the Guardians up against it in more ways than one.

It was not the decision to trade Rosario that doomed the Guardians, but the fact they waited so long to do so combined with acquiring a washed up Noah Syndergaard in return. In fact, the decision to wait the amount of time they did could have an impact on the team next year, as Rosario's playing time this year could have gone towards finding a definitive shortstop of the future for next year and beyond.

3. Free agent swings and misses

Identifying that their death by a thousand paper cuts approach was unsustainable, the Guardians front office went out and signed two players, which they believed could help bolster their overall lack of power. Unfortunately, both signings were complete whiffs, as they are no longer with the team.

The hope was that Mike Zunino would be able to provide enough power to offset his shortcomings defensively. Zunino was not able to accomplish what was asked of him, as he managed just seven doubles and three home runs in 42 games before being designated for assignment by the Guardians.

Cleveland's second big signing had red flags written all over him, and they chose to ignore them anyway. Josh Bell was disappointing from the start, and while buyer's remorse may not have set in for most early on, it was clear that the Guardians did not get what they paid for.

Bell struggled in his time with the Guardians, and it was obvious that he was not a fit with this team. Cleveland was hoping to get home run power from Bell, and he gave them 11 in 97 games. While's Bell's luck has improved since being traded to Miami, he currently sits at 21 home runs, and that is still on the lower end of what would have been considered acceptable given his profile and contract.