Assessing the Cleveland Guardians trade deadline activity

The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, with the Cleveland Guardians acquiring the services of outfielder Lane Thomas from Washington and pitcher Alex Cobb from San Francisco in separate deals. While it would have been a bit more comforting if the Guardians were able to do more at the deadline, the reality is that may not have been a realistic option.

There has been and will continue to be some criticism regarding Cleveland's handling of their prospects and not going all-in on acquiring a star-caliber player at the deadline. But it must be said that there were zero Top 100 prospects dealt at the deadline, according to Baseball America's ranking. It was not just the Guardians who were looking to hang on to their best prospects. It was every team in the sport.

There is also one other factor at play. Teams that should be in full Miami Marlins fire sale mode who decided to hold on to players who would have netted them a good return. The Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics would have been wise to move Taylor Ward and Brent Rooker, respectively, but instead, they kept both players in a roster management strategy that could only be considered puzzling. Sure, it is easy to blame a team for not going out and getting someone like Ward or Rooker, but that becomes impossible if those teams are not willing to partake in actual trade discussions.

Now, focusing on what the Guardians were able to accomplish at the deadline, swinging deals for Thomas and Cobb. These are two additions that fill areas of need in regard to the roster's current construction. Thomas is a right-handed bat that can hit left-handed pitchers well, and that should result in opposing teams being a bit more hesitant to go lefty-heavy in matchups with the Guardians. Cobb is a proven starter who was an All-Star in 2023, with plenty of experience to his name. While there is some concern, given that he is yet to throw a pitch in the majors this season, there is a belief that he can be an impact starter for Cleveland down the stretch and into the postseason.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to evaluating what the Guardians were able to do in a market that was not particularly friendly to teams looking to add. They made additions in areas that needed to be addressed, and that is something that a large, very vocal part of the fanbase did not think would happen. Would a more notable acquisition have been a bit more comforting? Sure, but that was not on the table. Cleveland's deadline activity was successful, given the environment it took place in. This is a fact that cannot be argued otherwise.