I can’t count how many times I’ve read about the Guardians 40-man roster logjam and the need to consolidate prospects. It’s certainly a high number, dating back to the end of the 2021 season before the lockout spared the team any Rule 5-related pain. Obviously, that congestion has not eased after the Aug. 2 trade deadline, as Cleveland still has a bloated roster, full of talented players.
This is a champagne problem, to be sure. Woe is the club with too many promising young players, right? But if the whole point of not making any trades was not to “muddy the waters” by, presumably, adding new players that would take developmental at-bats away from the promising young players who need them at the big league level.