Cleveland Guardians Offseason Moves Earn Respectable Grade

MLB analyst gives the Cleveland Guardians an above average grade for their offseason moves.

Aug 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Just because a team is active during free agency doesn't mean it's for a good reason.

The Cleveland Guardians have been a fairly busy team this winter, but the front office has received some backlash for some of the trades they've made. Namely, the Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor move that will bring in a new right side of the infield for 2025.

However, not everyone is viewing Cleveland's moves this winter as a disappointment.

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently graded every team's off-season moves so far and gave the Guardians a grade of a "B" for their trades and free agency signings.

"Retaining staff anchor Shane Bieber, who went down to elbow surgery early last season, was a pleasant development to kick off the winter. I didn't mind the Guardians bailing on Andrés Giménez; not with that contract, and not with Travis Bazzana on the fast track to the majors. I also thought they received some interesting arms back from the Pirates in exchange for Spencer Horwitz, including Luis L. Ortiz, who has a devastating slider," wrote Anderson.

"I won't pretend that I can make heads or tails out of the Josh Naylor-Carlos Santana switcheroo, but there's enough good going on here to land Cleveland a solid grade - even if, ideally, they should do a little more to stake out an advantage in the AL Central."

Mar 12, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Now that the Gimenez and Naylor trades have had time to digest, an overall grade of "B" for Cleveland's off-season moves seems pretty fair.

The Guardians turned Gimenez into a promising arm for their rotation, which desperately needed help, and received some intriguing assets for Naylor when his true trade value was unknown.

There's risk involved with bringing back a pitcher coming off Tommy John's surgery and signing a 39-veteran who just had one the best seasons of their career.

However, both Bieber and Santana carry a lot of upside as well.

Has it been a perfect offseason? No. Could the Guardians still strike big on a free agent or blockbuster trade? Absolutely.

But a grade of "B" when considering these moves could be viewed as savvy moves by the front office by the end of next season.