Guardians must be willing to go "all-in" at MLB Trade Deadline

The All-Star Break has now passed, and now is the time for the Cleveland Guardians to focus on their push to win their American League Central division in addition to going on a lengthy playoff run. If they are going to accomplish either goal, there must be a willingness to do whatever is necessary to get there. This means that from an organizational philosophy standpoint, the Guardians must be all-in on doing whatever it takes to end baseball's longest active championship drought.

By now, Cleveland's front office has a good idea of where they need some help on their major league roster, with their rotation being the biggest area of need as things stand currently. They would also happen to know who on what team is acquireable and who is not seriously under consideration for being moved by their respective clubs at this time. The Guardians should have a shortlist of players they are looking to acquire in an effort to make this team postseason-ready. While that is all well and good, there is another important factor at play here.

The Guardians must understand that in order to get players of value via trade, they are also going to have to part ways with them as well. This means that many of the players who were once considered "untouchable" by the organization no longer carry that designation. In fact, outside of a select few, everyone should be on the table to be on the table in trade talks. And even then, if the right player becomes available, those who would not currently be considered moveable no longer have that tag attached to them.

The expectation around the league at this point is that there will be very few sellers at the deadline. This only reinforces the need for the Guardians to be very aggressive in their attempts to improve at the deadline. If there is a player in Cleveland's minor league system that does not have a direct path to the big leagues, trade him. Should any concerns about a player's long-term health or viability as a major player exist, trade him. As long as an impactful player comes back to Cleveland, just about anyone should be considered available for other teams to acquire.

Far too long, the Guardians have played the half-in, half-out game when it comes to some of their prospects. Trying to make things work with their internal options rather than looking for proven MLB-caliber players. Ultimately, this process is time-consuming, and by the time they are ready to look for another option, it is too late to receive anything worthwhile in a trade for these players, and they are forced to take pennies on the dollar. That is if they are able to get anything at all for players with deflated values. Even though it may seem like they are a little ahead of schedule, Cleveland's contention window is currently open, and they must take advantage of that. Playing the "potential" game and "what this player might end up being" is fine for teams that are irrelevant, but the Guardians have the best record in the American League. The time is now for them to push all their chips into the middle of the table, acquire proven commodities, and go for it.