Cleveland Guardians Post Winter Meeting Power Ranking Position

Even after trading Andres Gimenez, the Cleveland Guardians are still considered one of the top teams in the American League heading into the 2025 season.

Jun 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrates with third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Winter Meetings are always full of surprises and shocking moves.

However, the Cleveland Guardians-Toronto Blue Jays trade centered around Andres Gimenez is still one that fans and analysts are trying to understand what it means for the landscape of Cleveland's ceiling.

Following the chaos of Winter Meetings, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report put together a new MLB power ranking.

He ranked the Guardians at No. 8 and had this to say about their recent transactions:

"The Guardians flipping Andres Gimenez in a three-team deal that brought back controllable starter Luis L. Ortiz from Pittsburgh was a shocking move, and they might not be done trading, with Josh Naylor and Lane Thomas also on the block. There are a handful of buy-low second basemen on the market they will likely kick the tires on now there's a glaring hole at the position."

Some important things to note here are that this ranking still has the Guardians as the top team in the AL Central division and the fourth-best team in the American League.

Clearly, Reuter still thinks highly of this roster and organization.

Sep 2, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) bats during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Looking at the moves themselves, trading Gimenez will certainly hurt the team's overall defense. The Platinum Glove is one of the best defenders in baseball, and that value is irreplaceable.

That said, Gimenez has struggled mightily at the plate the last two seasons, so whoever is next in line to take over at second base will likely be an upgrade offensively.

What the Guardians really needed to do this offseason was acquire more starting pitching, and that's exactly what they did during Winter Meetings.

However, the front office must add another major league caliber bat to the lineup to be considered one of MLB's top-five teams.