Insider Drops Update That Will Discourage Guardians Fans

A Cleveland Guardians insider has revealed some information that will certainly discourage the fan base.

Oct 14, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) reacts after striking out against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning in game two of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have not exactly been very busy making moves to improve the team this offseason.

While they did re-sign Shane Bieber and were able to swing a shrewd trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Luis Ortiz, the latter came at the expense of second baseman Andres Gimenez, who was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays (the Guardians flipped part of that return to the Pirates).

It's not that trading Gimenez is a bad move in and of itself. After all, he posted a .638 OPS last season. However, it may have been a sign of things to come, as it was clearly a way for Cleveland to slash payroll.

Is that something the Guardians are going to continue doing the rest of the offseason? There are still rumblings that they could trade Josh Naylor or Lane Thomas, and they don't appear to be all that active in the free-agent market.

Well, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic has provided a rather sobering update on Cleveland's strategy, and while his report won't exactly be too surprising for Guardians fans, it won't exactly be encouraging for them, either.

Lloyd isn't so sure the Gimenez deal means that Cleveland will be trading off more pieces, he also doesn't seem to think the Guardians will be adding anyone of significance.

"The Giménez trade isn’t an indicator of future salary purges. However, I don’t anticipate the payroll increasing much, either, after the uncertainty surrounding the television contract," Lloyd wrote. "That will leave fans understandably frustrated. It’s not often teams reach the American League Championship Series with a roster this young and respond by trading a Platinum Glove winner and canceling Fan Fest for the next two years. It’s counterintuitive to appealing to the base. But it’s the Guardians’ reality."

Cleveland ranked 23rd in the MLB in payroll this past year and has consistently been toward the bottom of baseball in that department, so its cost-conscious strategy isn't exactly new.

But that doesn't make it any less disheartening.