Guardians deal closer to NL playoffs contender in trade proposal

The trade deadline is now under three weeks from today. With teams trying to figure out whether or not to buy or sell at the deadline, it is time for teams to insert themselves into the playoff conversation or to go ahead and punt the season away.

One of those teams that may sell at the deadline is the Cleveland Guardians. With a three-game sweep of the Astros, it seems the Guardians may wait a little extra time to decide if they actually want to sell or not. If they do, one player they are likely to sell is their closer in Emmanuel Clase.

In a Bleacher Report story from Tim Kelly, Kelly listed out 10 trades before the deadline that could strengthen teams contending for a postseason run. The first trade Kelly lists is Cleveland trading Clase to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Realistically, the Phillies’ bullpen is probably three relievers away from being a World Series-caliber unit,” Kelly said. “But if president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was able to acquire a bullpen anchor, you’d feel better about their chances to close out games that their elite starting rotation puts them in position to win.”

While Cleveland would like to keep a reliable reliever on its roster, the return they get from trading Clase may be too good to pass up. Clase had a slow start to the 2025 season, but he has been lights out since the start of May. He has allowed just four earned runs since May 3 and has recorded 13 saves in that time.