3 Moves The Guardians Should Make After Quiet Trade Deadline

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, with the Cleveland Guardians remaining mostly quiet on the transaction front and emerging in essentially the same position as they were before the deadline.

Here are three moves the Guardians should make after their lack of trade deadline action.

Promote C.J. Kayfus

While Cleveland’s offense has largely been inconsistent all season, there has been one prospect in the farm system who has routinely shown he’s ready for a promotion: C.J. Kayfs.

The Guardians didn’t make any moves to fortify their lineup, despite being only 2.5 games back of a wild-card spot. If the team is serious about making a playoff push in 2025, they need another impact bat, and Kayfus could provide just that.

In 86 games in the minors this season (18 at Double-A and 68 at Triple-A), the 23-year-old is hitting .300/.390/.539 with a wRC+ of 150. Kayfus has shown flashes of being both a power and contact hitter, tallying 14 home runs, 18 doubles, and eight triples this year.

C.J. Kayfus (@CleGuardians) caps a three-hit night with his 14th home run of the season 💫

The Top 100 prospect boasts a .935 OPS through 60 games with the Triple-A @CLBClippers: pic.twitter.com/28t6myDgNt
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 20, 2025

Okay, maybe the organization wants to give him a little more time getting used to the outfield before calling him up, if that’s where they plan to play him, especially since Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo are still on the roster.

However, that waiting period shouldn’t be too much longer.

Kyle Manzardo Must Be An Everyday Player

Speaking of Manzardo, one of the biggest decisions the Guardians must make is finally letting him be a regular in the lineup.

Since the All-Star Break, Manzardo has an OPS of 1.328, including two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI. He’s currently Cleveland’s hottest hitter and may have the most overall potential, with still room to grow, on the big-league roster.

Hitting against left-handed pitchers may never be a strength for Manzardo, but it’s not like he’s been a massive liability against them this season either. In 48 at-bats against southpaws in 2025, he has a .780 OPS.

Allowing Manzardo to be an everyday player, stay in the game against lefties, and get more time at first base could be Cleveland’s best move to help win right now, and help develop potentially their next All-Star.

Guardians batter Kyle Manzardo celebrates after a ninth-inning walk against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sign Steven Kwan To An Extension

The biggest narrative surrounding the Guardians during the trade deadline was the question of, “Will they or won’t they trade Steven Kwan?”

Ultimately, after numerous teams called asking about the All-Star outfielder, Cleveland chose to keep him.

The Guardians could have gotten a haul of prospects for Kwan and his two-and-a-half years of team control. They reportedly asked for the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball in a potential deal for Kwan.

If the front office decided that they were better off holding on to Kwan, it wouldn’t make sense for them to turn around and trade him this offseason.

Since the 27-year-old is still in a Guardians jersey after July 31, it makes sense to make sure he stays in Cleveland for the majority of his career.

Promote C.J. Kayfus

Kyle Manzardo Must Be An Everyday Player

Sign Steven Kwan To An Extension

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