What the Guardians must do to compete next year

While the Cleveland Guardians surprised all of baseball by coming back from a 15 1/2 game deficit in the American League Central, they went out with a whimper in October when they lost to the Tigers in three games in the Wild Card Series. 

Even if their situation for next season could be worse (imagine being the White Sox), there are still some things they need to do if they plan on contending next season. 

Here are three things they should make a priority in the offseason if they want to compete next season. 

What the Guardians need to do to make the postseason this year

Give the rookies a chance to earn everyday playing time…

Last week against Detroit, the Guardians rolled out an outfield that consisted of Steven Kwan (a three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time All-Star), Chase DeLauter (who was playing in his second MLB game) and George Valera (who had 41 at-bats in the regular season, which made him look like a grizzled veteran next to DeLauter). 

While it was a great sign to see the Guardians trust the young guys in their outfield, it also adds some additional complications to the roster picture. Even if one of the outfield spots will be in the air thanks to Lane Thomas departing in free agency (so long as they don’t re-sign him), it’s still a jumbled picture. 

Angel Martínez got the most starts in center field for the Guardians, but was worth -9 Defensive Runs Saved as an outfielder. He still holds some value on the team, but as a utility player, not as an everyday outfielder. 

Meanwhile, Nolan Jones had the most playing time in right field but hit .211 and graded as a negative defender as well. 

DeLauter and Valera should be in the driver’s seat for everyday playing time in the outfield, but the Guardians will need to bring in some additional reinforcements given both of their injury histories. 

…And hold onto Steven Kwan

And that brings us to Kwan. The Guardians listened to trade offers for him at the trade deadline before electing to hold onto him, and it seems like he’s going to be a mainstay in trade rumors throughout the offseason. 

But that doesn’t mean the Guardians should trade him. As mentioned above, the Guardians outfield consists of plenty of young players with plenty of promise, but they have checkered injury histories and not a lot of major league experience. 

Even if Kwan finished this year with an OPS+ under 100, he was an All-Star for the second year in a row and is one of the best fielding outfielders in baseball. 

The Guardians made a mistake by not extending Kwan earlier in his career, but  he provides more value to the team than whatever return they’d be able to get from him in a trade. 

Kwan may not finish out his arbitration seasons in Cleveland, but he should be in Goodyear next spring when the Guardians open camp. 

Fortify the bullpen

Don’t get us wrong, the Guardians bullpen is in a good spot. Cade Smith looks like a shutdown closer. Hunter Gaddis is as good of a setup man as any in baseball. Erik Sabrowski gets better by the year. 

But there’s still some room for improvement. Jakob Junis was great for the Guardians this year, but he seems due to a big payday in free agency that may not come from the Guardians. 

Matt Festa was solid in a fireman role, but he ended up pitching the third-most innings out of the ‘pen despite not joining the roster until the start of May. 

The Guardians should get some clarity on Emmanuel Clase’s suspension at some point in the offseason, but it’s hard to believe that the team would want him back in the fold. 

The Guardians did a good job pivoting to build a solid bullpen after Clase’s suspension, but they have an opportunity to truly build a post-Clase bullpen this offseason.

Although it’s hard to believe they’d go after a top free agent closer like Edwin Díaz or Robert Suarez, there are plenty of solid veteran relievers hitting the market like Seranthony Dominguez or Luke Weaver.