Guardians Named As A Team With Work To Do Before Spring Training

The Cleveland Guardians must still make more moves this offseason.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt congratulates José Ramírez (11) after his two-run homer during the fifth inning of the home opener against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 8, 2024. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Some have scrutinized the Cleveland Guardians this offseason for their questionable trades of Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor.

Each of these trades could prove to be another savvy move by the front office, but as it stands, it appears the Guardians need to add some more proven big-league talent to return to the playoffs in 2025.

MLB.com writer Brent Maguire agrees with this sentiment and even listed the Guardians on his teams with the most work to do in the new year.

"Few teams have been as active as the Guardians this offseason. That doesn't necessarily mean Cleveland has improved, however," wrote Maguire.

"The Guardians have lost some integral members from a division-winning club, and on the surface, at least, it's not clear they have found adequate replacements. Of course, Cleveland has rightfully gained a reputation for player development and getting the most out of its rosters, but there's still a drop-off in proven talent. With the Royals and Tigers both making the playoffs last season and showing they're for real, the gap between those two teams and the Guardians has arguably shrunk."

Jul 8, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; A Cleveland Guardians baseball cap and glove sit on the dugout rail before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

Maguire does make a valid point that the Guardians have historically been a solid player development system. However, that has been more on the pitching side; some of their recent top-hitting prospects haven't quite lived up to the hype once making their big-league debuts.

If Cleveland is going to make another move before Spring Training begins, they need to target either a veteran outfielder with offensive upside or a versatile infielder who can outperform Gimenez's numbers from a year ago at the plate.

The Guardians aren't totally out of free agent or trade possibilities just yet, but they are running out of time, and if they wait too much longer, they could run out of options as well.