Guardians urged to make tough Emmanuel Clase decision amid rough season

The Cleveland Guardians are in the middle of a rough season in 2025. Despite coming off a strong 2024, things aren't looking great this season, especially coming off a bad June, where they went 9-16.

With their recent struggles, the door to trading away some veterans is more open than it's been in recent years. David Schoenfield of ESPN, amid the Guardians' struggles, is urging the team to trade away closer Emmanuel Clase.

"Given the potential return for Clase," Schoenfield writes, "-- and hedging against the possibility he could be on the decline -- this might be the best chance for the Guardians to get a big haul for him."

Cleveland is three games out of a Wild Card spot in the AL and is well behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central lead. With the team potentially looking at a rough season ahead of them, they could move on from Clase and get a huge haul in return.

There might be no better time to trade Clase than now, as he's under team control through the 2026 season, and has club options in 2027 and 2028 for $10 million. From a money standpoint, there will be plenty of teams who can take on his deal.

But, more importantly, there will be a lot of teams interested in Clase if the Guardians decide to sell him. They'd likely land a haul for the three-time All-Star closer, even though his 2025 production hasn't matched what he displayed in 2024.

Clase has a 3.28 ERA in 2025, significantly higher than his 0.68 ERA in 2024. While he likely won't reach the heights of his incredible 2024 season, Clase would still be highly coveted around the league.

For the Guardians, losing Clase would sting. But, the massive return they'd likely get, along with Cade Smith coming into his own as a high-leverage closer, a trade of Clase is starting to make more sense as the team struggles to cobble together wins.

The Guardians will be one of the more interesting teams at the MLB trade deadline. With a chance to buy or sell, Cleveland holds a lot of intrigue around the league with their players and prospects in potential deals.