One Deadline Move Cleveland Guardians Should Be Prioritizing

The Guardians should be prioritizing this one move before Monday's Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Nov 10, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti talks to the media during an introductory press conference for new manager Stephen Vogt at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is set for Monday, and this is a good time for the Cleveland Guardians to make a splash.

Cleveland made a move on Saturday, trading catcher Bo Naylor and reliever Codi Heuer to the Milwaukee Brewers for reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins, but that is not enough.

Cleveland should look to trade for Heliot Ramos

The Guardians need to find another bat for their lineup and should consider trading for San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos.

The Athletic's Jason Lloyd mentioned Ramos as a trade target he would like the Guardians to acquire during the "Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show" on Wednesday, and it made perfect sense.

Ramos is in his third full season with the Giants and currently has a batting average of .264, an OPS of .731 and nine home runs in 73 games. His numbers are slightly down since he missed about a month of the season due to a right quadriceps strain.

The 26-year-old outfielder was an All-Star in 2024, boasting a .269 batting average, a .792 OPS, 22 home runs and 72 RBI.

Ramos is a left fielder, which could move Steven Kwan to play full-time in center field. He also bats from the right side of the plate, which is something the Guardians need.

Jul 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos (17) during the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleveland doesn't have enough right-handed hitters in its lineup, and adding a player like Ramos would be a great move. Ramos is also under team control for another three full seasons, as he won't become a free agent until 2030.

The Guardians will need to let go of one of their top four prospects, but likely they won't have to part with shortstop Angel Genao or first baseman/outfielder Ralphy Velazquez, who many outlets have ranked as their No. 1 and 2 prospects.

There’s always a chance that the Giants will choose to keep Ramos, since he’s not close to becoming a free agent and will remain affordable for a few more seasons. Often, teams part ways with players who are about to hit free agency in the next year or two to offload them and get something in return before it’s too late. However, that’s not the situation with Ramos at the moment.

As of Sunday, the Giants currently hold a 47-64 record, which likely means they've fallen out of playoff contention for this season. But they still have a few more seasons to turn things around and may consider Ramos to be part of their plans.

The Guardians have to be looking for another bat before Monday, and it would be nice to get a player with some contract control over the next few years.