Guardians Must Shift Focus To Upgrading This Position

The Cleveland Guardians still have questions to answer in their outfield.

Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (38) outfielder Lane Thomas (8) and outfielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) celebrate after defeating the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have given the starting rotation a ton of attention at the start of the offseason.

The front office re-signed RHHP Shane Bieber to a one-year deal and traded for RHP Luis Ortiz, who will enter the rotation in 2025. Both of these moves answered some of Cleveland's questions there.

The front office needs to shift its focus to another area of need on the Guardians' roster: their outfield.

And no, this doesn't mean trading Lane Thomas, who was one of Cleveland's better bats in their postseason lineup.

The Guardians need to hold on to Thomas and go out and acquire another major league-proven bat who can slide into the batting order and give the team consistent production for 162 games.

If you take out Steven Kwan in left field, it's clear how badly the Guardians must upgrade in the outfield this winter. Cleveland's left field and right fielders combined to hit .224/.301/.374 with a wRC+ of 94 throughout the season.

Aug 25, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) catches a ball hit by Texas Rangers third baseman Ezequiel Duran (not pictured) during the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

There are different avenues the front office could take to address this position. Before Winter Meetings, it was reported that the Guardians were "open" to outfield additions.

Numerous free-agent options are still available, such as Teoscar Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Jesse Winker, and Jurickson Profar.

However, the Guardians have been reluctant to spend funds on free agents for the last few offseason, so a trade that brings in a bat feels much more likely at this point.

Yes, Cleveland still has their No. 2 ranked prospect, Chase DeLauter, in the minors, and he could transform this offense. However, it's still unclear when he'll be ready, and DeLauter's injury history should incentivize the front office to have a backup plan as well.

The Guardians need to improve their roster and offense from 2024. The best way for Cleveland to do that is by adding more in the outfield, and that needs to be a priority before spring training.