Cleveland Guardians Head To The Offseason With Two Unmet Roster Needs

SportsMoney Cleveland Guardians Head Into The Offseason With Two Big Roster Needs Bernie Pleskoff Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I provide expertise through the eyes of a professional baseball scout Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 20, 2022, 10:49am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Cleveland Guardians’ Oscar Gonzalez gestures as he is interviewed after the team’s 6-5 win over the .

. . [+] New York Yankees in Game 3 of a baseball AL Division Series, Saturday, Oct.

15, 2022, in Cleveland. Gonzalez drove in the winning run. (AP Photo/Phil Long) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

All rights reserved. The young, upstart Cleveland Guardians defied all odds and made it to the MLB American League Division Series against the veteran New York Yankees. The Yankees defeated Cleveland in the deciding Game 5, October 18, at Yankee Stadium.

Scoring three runs in the first inning on a three-run homer by Giancarlo Stanton, the Guardians could never catch up. The final score was 5-1. To this scout, two unmet, glaring weaknesses of the 2022 edition of the Guardians were exposed in the playoffs.

The Guardians entered the postseason without a left-handed starting pitcher in their rotation. They also lacked a true, game-changing power threat to compliment Jose Ramirez, the best hitter in their lineup. Unmet Need No.

1-A veteran starting pitcher: Cleveland Guardians’ Triston McKenzie pitches in the first inning of a wild card baseball playoff . . .

[+] game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

All rights reserved. The normal 2022 Guardians rotation consisted of: RHP Shane Bieber (Age 27) RHP Triston McKenzie (Age 25) RHP Cal Quantrill (Age 27) MORE FOR YOU Patrick Byrne Of Overstock Fame Says He Was Involved In Monthslong Effort To Overturn 2020 Election The Reality Of Increased IRS Funding In Our Flawed Healthcare System, Patients Need To Take More Control RHP Aaron Civale (Age 27) RHP Zach Plesac (Age 27) To this writer, in order to build on their highly successful 2022 season, the Guardians need one more veteran starter for next season. Preferably that starter would be left-handed.

The Guardians have some pitchers in development, but they are still young and untested. If they can add a veteran starter, the pitchers in development won’t be rushed to the big leagues. One potential new starter could be right-hander Cody Morris, who has acquitted himself well so far in his rookie season.

The Guardians may choose to trade a starter like Plesac or Civale to provide a spot in the rotation for Morris. Should that happen, maybe they would get a veteran starter in a trade for either Civale or Plesac. Maybe any pitcher in that type deal would benefit from a change of scenery.

Cleveland has shown an ability to play superb baseball against any opponent. But adding a veteran starter to lengthen their rotation would be welcome. There are quality starting pitchers who are eligible to be free-agents this offseason.

It is yet to be determined if any of those pitchers will sign extensions with their current teams. The pitchers listed below may fit the age and other factors that could potentially meet the Guardians comfort level and provide a bridge to pitchers still in the Guardians development program: PHOENIX, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 12: Tyler Anderson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the . .

. [+] Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field on September 12, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Getty Images Tyler Anderson-LHP-Dodgers-Age 32 Sean Manaea-LHP-Padres-Age 30 Jose Quintana-LHP-Cardinals-Age 33 Jordan Lyles-RHP-Orioles-Age 32 (holds a club option for 2023) Ross Stripling-RHP-Blue Jays-Age 32 There are many more potential free-agent pitchers.

However, they may be either higher profile and potentially more expensive, or beyond the age of solid return on the investment. Pitchers like Manaea and Lyles may flourish in a Guardians pitching program that has success helping pitchers realize their potential. Of course, there are pitchers that may be available in trade.

Those pitchers may have less of a track record, and may be dealt by their club. Unmet Need No. 2-Legitimate Power Hitter: Flushing, N.

Y. : San Diego Padres Josh Bell celebrates scoring in the 2nd inning of his game against . .

. [+] the New York Mets at Citi Field on the evening of October 9, 2022. Today is game three of their Wildcard Playoff match.

(Photo by Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images) Newsday via Getty Images The Cleveland Guardians hit 127 home runs this past season. The only team with a lower total was the Detroit Tigers, who hit 110.

The Guardians MLB American League Division Series opponent, the New York Yankees led all baseball with 254 homers. To be clear, home runs are not the only factor necessary to score runs. But they sure do help.

There is added pressure on a club when the team has to cobble together several walks, hits or opposition errors to score. Multiple run innings are even tougher to accomplish. With one swing of the bat, a club can put three runs on the board in the blink of an eye.

That’s exactly what the Yankees Giancarlo Stanton did in Game 5 of the AL Division Series finale. Cleveland could use a right-handed hitting first baseman with power. He could spell left-handed hitting Josh Naylor, who is still hobbling on the ankle he broke in the 2021 season.

Naylor could be a designated hitter, or platoon at first base. If not a first baseman, the Guardians may want to consider a power hitter as their designated hitter. It is possible outfielder Oscar Gonzalez will continue to add power as he matures and gains big league experience.

That would certainly help. There are some potential free-agents that may not be signed by their existing teams. They include: Jose Abreu-White Sox-Age 36 (there is word the Chicago Cubs are very interested in signing Abreu) Josh Bell—Padres-Age 30 Miguel Sano-Twins-Age 30 Trey Mancini-Astros-Age 31 J.

D. Martinez-Red Sox-Age 35 To this writer, it seems unlikely the Guardians will add an offense-first catcher. In rookie catcher Bo Naylor, it appears the team is satisfied he will be their catcher of the future, and they probably feel he will add offense.

This writer is not convinced that will be the case. Frankly, they need a catcher that can hit, but the team may be counting on that from the young Naylor. Financial Concerns: CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 23: Cleveland Indians team owner and chairman Paul Dolan talks to members of .

. . [+] the media during a press conference announcing the name change from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 23, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.

(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) Getty Images Without a doubt, power hitters are costly. Every MLB team seeks game-changing power for their lineup. According to Fangraphs, the Guardians finished the 2022 season with an estimated payroll of $68.

2M. That was $19M more than 2021. Boardroom.

com lists the Guardians as having the third lowest payroll in Major League Baseball. Only the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates were lower. At $69M, and with the net proceeds from appearing in both the American League Wild Card Series (two home games) and the American League Division Series (two home games) revenue for Cleveland’s ownership should have gotten a nice boost.

ESPN listed the Guardians home attendance this past season at 1,295,669, or 25th out of the 30 MLB clubs. They averaged 17,000 per home game. The Guardians did face lengthy periods of bad weather that may have had an impact on the attendance.

But many teams faced similar weather issues and had better attendance than Cleveland. Cleveland ownership has earned a reputation of cutting team payrolls and resisting spending on expensive players. This past year was no different.

Consider these past six-year, opening day, 26-man payroll figures for the Cleveland franchise, as noted by Cot’s Baseball Contracts: 2017=$124. 1M 2018=$134. 8M 2019=$119.

5M 2020=$36. 1M 2021=$49. 6M 2022=$68.

2M Note that Cleveland’s opening day payrolls were almost twice as robust as recently as five years ago. Fans are well aware of the fact. Many fans have been vociferous with their criticism for Cleveland’s ownership.

It is likely many have expressed their displeasure by staying away from Progressive Field in Cleveland. For Cleveland and free-agency, money is an issue. Conclusions: The Cleveland Guardians exceeded pre-season expectations by winning the American League Central Division and sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays in two games in an American League Wild Card Series.

The Guardians lost to the New York Yankees in the five-game American League Division Series. Now, they face the offseason trying to improve the club and get to the next level of the MLB postseason. For this scout, the team needs an additional starting pitcher and a power hitter for the middle of the lineup to best compete with the tough competition in baseball’s new landscape.

Upgrades will cost money. It remains to be seen if the Cleveland front office will keep the young roster they have, or try to make improvements prior to the 2023 season. It also remains to be seen what the player payroll budget will be next season, and how the payroll budget will impact offseason transactions.

Follow me on Twitter . Bernie Pleskoff Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.