7 moves the Cleveland Guardians must make to right the ship

Things have not gone well for the Cleveland Guardians as of late, and they are running out of time to get back on the right track. This is a team that has proven throughout this season that they are capable of playing much better than what they have shown over the past couple of weeks. In order to get back to that level, there are a handful of decisions they can make to help their chances and put the best possible group of players on the field together.

1. End the Anthony Gose experiment

Anthony Gose may have only made two appearances on the year, but the Guardians' fascination with him continues to be incredibly puzzling. Gose continues to get let go and brought back into the fold on a routine basis and for reasons that are impossible to comprehend. The former outfielder turned reliever has not proven to be anything remarkable in the major leagues and is probably best suited as a minor league arm or a relief arm on a non-competitive team. With the Guardians looking to make a postseason push, they need to be a little more serious about who they choose to have in their bullpen mix. Cleveland has decided to designate Gose for assignment (again), but now is the time to bring the position conversion experiment with him to an overdue end.

3. Play Jhonkensy Noel every day

Even though the offense of the Cleveland Guardians has been stuck in a rut of sorts over the past few weeks, that has not applied to Jhonkensy "Big Christmas" Noel. The 22-year-old has put together an impressive stat line in his 44 career major league games, with 12 home runs and five doubles while driving in 24 runs. This is quite the offensive display from the young slugger and is proving he should be given the chance to be an everyday player.

While he has played in most of Cleveland's games since being called up, there is still the occasional decision to not have him in the lineup which seems puzzling. Noel is one of the few players who has been productive at the plate and should really be subjected to matchup plays as long as he is hitting. The Guardians cannot afford to let one of the few players outside of their core three (Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, and Josh Naylor) who is making an impact at the plate to not be given that chance.

Do concerns exist about Noel's long-term viability? Sure, carrying a high strikeout rate is always something to keep an eye on, but as long as there is a certain level of offense that comes with it, something that Noel is providing more often than not, it can be overlooked.

4 and 5. Call up Kyle Manzardo and George Valera

This is something that has needed to be done for quite some time, and if this does sound familiar, yes, this was previously covered but it is worth reinforcing yet again with how things continue to play out. The longer the Cleveland Guardians wait to bring two players who could and should be able to help make up for the lack of production from other players on their roster remains a mystery. Kyle Manzardo and George Valera should have gotten the call a long time ago but have been relegated to playing in Triple-A Columbus.

There is also another aspect to this suggestion. Cleveland needs to find out what they have in both Manzardo and Valera, a task that can only be accomplished by having them in the majors. Letting them continue to rot in the minors is not only a disservice to them but to the others on the big league roster who know they are in need of help at this time.

At this point, it really comes down to trying something else than what they have been trying, because what they have been going with is not working well enough. Giving Manzardo and Valera the shots they have earned seems like a very easy decision for this front office to make.

6. Introduce Lane Thomas to the concept of pine time

The Cleveland Guardians made two deals at the deadline, and it is pretty safe to say, at this point, that neither deal has lived up to expectations. While Alex Cobb landing on the injured list with a fractured fingernail is not anyone's direct fault, the underwhelming performance of outfielder Lane Thomas does not get the same pass here.

Thomas has been a disaster since being acquired. Slashing just .145/.233/.196 with four doubles and zero home runs, much more was expected from the former Washington National. Now, was anyone necessarily expecting a performance like his 2023 that saw him hit 28 long balls or the 17 he hit in 2022? Not necessarily, but having zero in 86 plate appearances is a massive disappointment.

It is beyond time for Thomas to be relegated to the bench and given very little playing time. Thomas' presence in the lineup has been a net negative offensively and has not shown he is capable of changing that. Does it hurt having the one bat acquired at the deadline flame out this quickly? Absolutely, but this is a scenario that happens, and the proper steps must be taken accordingly. Give Thomas an extended time off and allow him the chance to get right while not being played on a frequent basis. After that period, then and only then, give Thomas another chance to make a difference.

7. Keep shuffling options at shortstop until one sticks

It has been a carousel of sorts at the shortstop position for the Cleveland Guardians this season. There have been multiple options used at short, with none of them proving capable of taking the position and running with it. While there is a discussion to be had after this year is up about potentially sliding Andres Gimenez over to accommodate the eventual arrival of Travis Bazzana, they need to figure out something for the stretch run.

The previously mentioned Tyler Freeman has gotten some run at the position, but as the previous slide states, his time needs to be up. Brayan Rocchio and Daniel Schneemann have gotten their chances as well, with their deficiencies, either offensively or defensively, preventing them from being a true option. Perhaps the Guardians could look to bring the suddenly hot-hitting Gabriel Arias up from Triple-A to give him one last shot to remain with the organization. Maybe they could look to someone else who also calls Columbus home at this time in Angel Martinez, allowing him the opportunity to play a position that he has made the second-most appearances at in the minors.

Whichever way the Guardians decide to go here, one thing is for sure. They must continue to try guys out and give them a chance to claim the position as their own because they are running out of time to find out who, if anyone, is capable of being their regular shortstop come playoff time.