During the MLB winter, the Cleveland Guardians have landed another dismal acquisition. The Cleveland Guardians have made some moves this offseason, but not ones that will delight their fans.
They traded second baseman Andres Gimenez. They released first baseman Josh Naylor. Yes, they re-signed Shane Bieber, replaced Naylor with Carlos Santana, and negotiated a contract with Luis Ortiz, but the Guardians’ offseason performances have been disappointing.
That’s especially true for a squad that has only recently advanced to the American League Championship Series.
Cleveland has snagged yet another underwhelming grab in what has been a winter full of them. The Guardians—who are in urgent need of another outfield bat—were not even included among Bleacher
Kerry Miller ranks the top ten probable suitors for free agent slugger Anthony Santander.To make matters worse, Miller mentioned the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals as potential destinations for the former Baltimore Orioles standout. Not only are the Tigers and Royals AL Central rivals of Cleveland, but neither team is recognized for spending significant money.
The fact that the Guardians aren’t even being considered as a destination for Santander lends credence to the assumption that they are unlikely to make any additional major deals this offseason, despite being completely capable of doing so.
To be fair, acquiring Santander would be hazardous. Yes, he hit 44 home runs in 2024, but he recorded a slash line of.235/.308/.506
owns for a lifetime.776 OPS. Aside from hitting home runs, Santander doesn’t provide much else, so it’s understandable that the usually frugal Guardians would balk at his price. Well, so is everyone else.
But if Santander’s asking price falls, Cleveland should step in and try to get the 30-year-old to a lineup that desperately needs another power bat, especially after losing Naylor.
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