Time is running out for teams outside of the playoff bubble to make a run and surpass rivals ahead of them.
One of the teams running out of time is the Cleveland Guardians. Led by third baseman Jose Ramirez, the Guardians are six games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central but just 1.5 games back of the New York Yankees for the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
After days of speculation, Cleveland decided to keep left fielder Steven Kwan rather than trade him. Kwan does not reach free agency until 2028. While Kwan stuck around, the Guardians dealt reliever Paul Sewald to the Tigers and former ace Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB Analyst Not a Fan of Shane Bieber Trade
Bieber underwent Tommy John Surgery in April 2024 and has yet to make his season debut in 2025 while on a rehab assignment. On Sunday, he made his first appearance in the Blue Jays’ organization at Triple-A Buffalo, striking out five in six innings with two earned runs allowed.
Not including a 2024 season in which Bieber made just two starts, the right-hander was an integral part of the Cleveland Guardians’ rotation from 2018 to 2023. Bieber has a player option at season’s end, and Matt Snyder of CBS Sports believes Cleveland should have kept him around for a postseason push.
“I maintain my stance that it was pathetic to dump Shane Bieber just to save ownership money when the team could use another starting pitcher down the stretch — and it’s entirely plausible that they’d make the playoffs with him pitching at an ace level — but the team is playing well,” wrote Snyder about the Guardians’ trade of Bieber.
“It isn’t their fault ownership is a joke. Since that 10-game losing streak, the Guardians are 19-7 and right on the cusp of playoff position.”
In the Bieber trade, the Guardians acquired right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen, Toronto’s fifth-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline.
Do the Guardians Have a Chance Without Bieber?
As the Cleveland Guardians’ active roster stands, candidates to start the first game of a postseason series for them include Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams, who took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning on Wednesday against the New York Mets, ultimately allowing a one-out home run to Juan Soto.
Of the teams that sold at the deadline, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports sees the Guardians as the club most likely to capture a spot in the postseason.
“It’s probably the Guardians, right? They’re closer to a playoff spot than the Rays or the Cardinals are, making it easier to foresee them actually getting in; they’ve played well over the last month; and they have a relatively weak remaining strength of schedule,” Anderson wrote.
“They also have the capacity to improve through internal means (e.g., giving C.J. Kayfus some at-bats that would’ve gone to struggling offensive players) that gives them an advantage now that the deadline has passed.”
It would take a magical run for Cleveland to catch the Tigers, and they will have to adjust to life without a former Cy Young Award winner in Bieber.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Guardians in Reach of Postseason Spot Despite ‘Pathetic’ Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.