Don't lose hope, Guardians fans - Cleveland will be active this offseason

As some free agents sign elsewhere, it's important to remember this front office never really has been a big player in the free-agent market. Instead, with a wealth of near-MLB-ready middle infielders and pitching, it makes more sense for the club to acquire pieces via trades this offseason.

It's no secret that the Guardians could stand to upgrade a few positions, namely catcher, first base, and possibly another starter. Even if each of these additions is only a stopgap for the next three seasons, this roster is solid but could be even better.

If I were to bet, I would imagine the front office will sign one or two free agents and look to similarly make one or two trades to land a few starting-caliber pieces to this roster puzzle. Using this as our North Star, I'm going to propose a series of realistic trades (hey, you have to give up something in order to receive something back). And with the Winter Meetings fast approaching next week, what better time to explore some potential trade scenarios than right now?

I'll be using Baseball Trade Values to evaluate each trade. That "TV" you see in each trade is the numeric value assigned by BTV for the collection of players. Again, each of these trades is designed to be as equal to each team, but if they happen to favor the Guardians, well, sorry.