Change is needed for the Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have been playing very streaky as of late. Extended winning and losing streaks have been the theme over the past few weeks, and while they have come out no better or worse during that time, it is something they cannot afford to let continue. Something must be done now in order to end this losing streak and to find some level of stabilization and consistency. Being swept in Milwaukee should serve as a wake-up call for the decision-makers in Cleveland to start acting accordingly.

There are a few players on the roster who, to be honest, have overstayed their welcome. Daniel Schneemann was a nice story, and the immediate success made it easy to root for him, but as time has gone on, the reasons why he did not make his Major League Debut until the age of 27 have become vastly apparent. To be blunt, he is not a major league-caliber player. At best, he is a bottom part of the roster body who can fill in as needed, which would not be a problem if the Guardians did not have issues at most of the positions he plays. This has resulted in far more playing time than he should get and an overreliance on someone who should not be playing more than twice a week on a part-time basis.

Tyler Freeman is another player who seems to be on borrowed time. The only real reason he has stuck around for as long as he has is due to his positional flexibility. If Freeman was someone who could only play one position, his time with the major league club would have ended months ago. However, being able to fill in as needed all over the diamond has resulted in his current extended stay. Now, Freeman is not necessarily a bad baseball player, but he is not a good one either. Cleveland has been stuck playing these types of players all year long, and eventually, a time comes when it is absolutely necessary to churn the bottom of the roster yet again.

This would be a less difficult decision for the Guardians to make if there were known quality options to bring up in their place in the minors. Unfortunately, that is not the case at this time. The most likely players to get the call have either struggled previously or are yet to make their debut. As uninspiring as that sounds, at some point, the Guardians do need to find out more about these players in the majors, and being inserted into a divisional playoff race would be quite the test of their abilities.

The reality is the Guardians will need to see what Kyle Manzardo, George Valera, and, to a lesser extent, Gabriel Arias can do for their ballclub. Is their upcoming series in The Bronx against the New York Yankees the best place for that to happen? Not necessarily, but the Guardians cannot let a hostile environment be the determining factor in making decisions that are in their own best interest. Comfortability and being able to ease a player into the swing of things can no longer be the primary factors in their decision-making process. There can be only one, and that is winning. Make roster moves that prioritize winning, and everything else will fall into place accordingly. The organization can start by making a few moves that should have been done already and get this time in the best shape possible for the stretch run.

If they do not take this very obvious path forward, well, a division that has looked to be theirs for the taking all season long may not be within their grasp for much longer.