Guardians not expected to be major sellers at MLB trade deadline

After losing ten games in a row, the Cleveland Guardians are, unsurprisingly, on the outside looking in for the AL Wild Card. Sitting seven games back, it is within the realm of possibility that Cleveland sells at the MLB trade deadline.

But, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, if the Guardians do sell, it won't be a full-blown fire sale. Stark explains that people around baseball don't see the Guardians as a team looking to ship off a lot of their top trade chips.

"The Guardians have gone 9-22 since the start of June," Stark writes, "Yet still haven't quite tumbled out of that Wild Card race (seven games back). But even if the next few weeks are just as rough, the league is dubious that a full sell-off is coming from one of the youngest teams in the sport."

Cleveland, despite the losing streak, can still rebound and make a postseason push. But, with the chances not looking great, especially with how bad the offense has been, moving on from some veterans is a possibility.

Carlos Santana is one of the more obvious trade candidates, and with a few teams looking for a first baseman, the Guardians will have a couple of suitors. Lane Thomas, while not the best outfielder, might have some teams interested in him as a depth piece.

MORE: Guardians predicted to land haul of prospects for Emmanuel Clase at trade deadline

But two players stand out as feasible trade deadline pieces who could be on the move. Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase have both been involved in trade rumors in the past month.

In Stark's piece, an NL executive thinks the Guardians could move Kwan, even though he's under team control through 2027. While it'd be a strange move, the prospect haul they'd get for him would be enormous.

While there is a lot of speculation over what the guardians can sell, the team is not expected to ship off all of their assets. This isn't the time to enter a rebuild, as the Guardians are young and have plenty of prospects who can contribute in 2025 and beyond.

While Clase and Kwan are in rumors, it's trending towards the Guardians not making any major moves. It's not the most exciting, but considering the roster and organization structure, it makes the most sense.

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