Guardians miss out on chance to acquire Rays outfielder

If the Cleveland Guardians are going to make an acquisition of note before the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline, they better start acting with a sense of urgency. The most pressing area of need may be adding a starting pitcher, but adding an impact bat to add to their lineup is something that needs to be heavily considered. With just a few days left before the deadline, one potential bat the Guardians could have brought into the mix is now off the table.

The Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms on a trade that will send outfielder Randy Arozarena to the American League West. Seattle parted ways with two prospects and a player to be named later to acquire Arozarena from the Rays, which was hardly a steep price and one that most teams in contention could afford.

Even though Arozarena is having a down year by his standards, slashing just .211/.318/.394 with 19 doubles and 15 home runs, his 109 weighted runs created plus would still be an improvement over the likes of Tyler Freeman (98) and Will Brennan (92). There is also the fact that Arozarena has also proven to be a much better performer at the plate in his career over previous seasons, with that not being applicable to either Freeman or Brennan. There is a certain production level that Arozarena has shown to be capable of that is outside the reach of Freeman and Brennan.

With Arozarena no longer an option, the Guardians will now have to consider who else may be available and fast. The deadline is just four days away, and Cleveland knows they have to make improvements before then. This trade between Seattle and Tampa Bay could be the first of many dominos that are about to fall, and that potential flurry of deals could see the Guardians' options dwindle even further.

Even though this seems to suggest that they should go into panic mode, it is merely stating that they should make a decision to acquire someone rather than continue the prolonged on-the-fence strategy they have taken multiple times in the past. Either trade for someone or don't, it is that simple. They cannot afford to "be in" on someone and have nothing come to fruition. Make a deal of consequence and move forward. This team is too good for them to only make a minor move. Or even worse, not make one at all.