Guardians Slammed With Harsh Take Amid Disappointing Offseason

The Cleveland Guardians have been hit with a rather rough take heading into the 2025 MLB season.

Oct 15, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) reacts after striking out against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning during game three of the NLDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have not exactly had a banner offseason, which probably should not come as much of a surprise given their historically frugal spending habits.

But do the Guardians still have enough talent to make it back to the ALCS next season?

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller doesn't seem to think so.

Miller listed Cleveland among the most "confusing teams" in the MLB and also placed them among "pretenders" heading into 2025.

"If Ben Lively manages to repeat what he did last season and if Shane Bieber makes it back from Tommy John surgery before the All-Star break, maybe Cleveland can run it back again," Miller wrote. "But the Guardians have one sure thing in their rotation (Bibee) and have traded away two of what were their four or five most valuable position players from last season in the name of saving some coin."

Miller certainly has a point.

Cleveland has dealt both second baseman Andres Gimenez and first baseman Josh Naylor this offseason, and the only free-agent signings it has made is bringing back Bieber and adding Carlos Santana to replace Naylor.

The Guardians did acquire pitcher Luis Ortiz, but their starting rotation is still a massive question mark, and their offense remains thin on power hitters.

On the bright side, Cleveland is playing in a very weak AL Central division, and the American League lacks depth in general.

That being said, it's discouraging that the Guardians have not doubled down on their fantastic 2024 campaign, instead choosing to preserve their financial resources rather than continuing to build.

There is still time left for Cleveland to make some moves. We'll see if the Guardians get busy.