Can the Cleveland Guardians be Trusted at the MLB Trade Deadline?

If you have been watching the Cleveland Guardians at all this season, one thing should be blatantly obvious to you: the Guardians need help. A lot of it.

Cleveland certainly isn't a bad team. Actually, the Guardians are pretty solid. Heading into Friday's three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland sat at 35-32, right in the thick of the American League playoff race.

However, the Guardians are eight-and-a-half games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL Central (seven in the loss column), indicating that something is certainly wrong here.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine Cleveland needs some outfield assistance. The Nolan Jones-Jhonkensy Noel platoon in right field has not worked out (Noel was already demoted), Angel Martinez owns a .623 OPS in center and Lane Thomas has been in and out of the lineup with injuries.

Not only that, but Gabriel Arias' production has fallen off a cliff, and Kyle Manzardo has been frustrating after a hot start. Additionally, the Guardians could use some more help with their starting rotation, just like last season.

Now, the good news is that Cleveland still has about six weeks until the MLB trade deadline to get this all sorted out. The question is, can we actually trust the Guardians to do so?

Last summer, Cleveland made a couple of moves, acquiring Thomas and pitcher Alex Cobb to plug a couple of holes. Neither move wowed anyone, but Thomas did at least play a rather significant role down the stretch. But then, the Guardians went and traded Josh Naylor during the offseason and failed to upgrade their offense anywhere else.

Cleveland made it all the way to the ALCS last October, so you would think the Guardians would have made more of a concerted effort to bolster their roster over the winter, but they didn't. Why should anyone believe that they will do so in the coming weeks?

Typically a very conservative franchise, Cleveland currently ranks 25th in baseball in payroll. While it's certainly admirable that the Guardians are consistently able to field competitive teams on a tight budget, it gets maddening when they refuse to spend money to take the club to the next level.

To be fair, Cleveland doesn't necessarily have to take on any money to better the roster by July 31, but then that brings us to the Guardians' stubbornness with prospects.

Not only does Cleveland have rather tight purse strings, but it also has a tight grip on its farm system. The Guardians don't like to surrender prospects. Point blank. Period. And while that is understandable for a team that largely builds internally, it obviously makes seriously contending for a World Series a trying exercise.

The American League is not very strong this season. The Tigers and the New York Yankees are truly the only teams that look championship-esque. That means a golden opportunity sits in front of Cleveland, which is really only a couple of pieces away from being definitively scary.

But again, should we actually believe that the Guardians are going to make the necessary moves to put themselves over the top for an extended playoff run? We can hope for the best, but based on history, we probably shouldn't hold our breath.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage