Guardians have two underrated trade deadline needs that are not an issue right now

The Cleveland Guardians are one game back in the AL Central from the Chicago White Sox, and with a 47-46 record, they're likely to be trade deadline buyers.

But, when it comes to what this team needs, offensive firepower, with the second-fewest runs-scored in MLB, is very obvious. However, the Guardians could use some help elsewhere.

As Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic allude to, Guardians fans should "keep in mind" that the club's use of their starting pitchers this year could lead to a depth addition in the rotation, or even the bullpen.

Guardians linked to depth trades for bullpen, rotation help

"Something else to keep in mind with the Guards: They have used only five starters, so they could look to add depth to their rotation as well as their bullpen," Rosenthal and Sammon write.

Cleveland's pitching staff this season has been in fairly good shape. Parker Messick has a 2.80 ERA and 109 strikeouts this season, and is a legitimate Cy Young candidate.

Gavin Williams has a 3.89 ERA, Tanner Bibee has a 4.06 ERA, Joe Cantillo has a 3.66 ERA, and Slade Cecconi has a 4.55 ERA. While none of those pitchers are All-Star caliber, they're good enough to make the rotation not feel like a need.

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But, because the Guardians haven't had to deal with other starters in the rotation, adding another depth piece in a cheap rental would make some sense.

The same goes for the bullpen, where Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Shawn Armstrong, Matt Festa, Colin Holderman, and others make up a solid group.

While the Guardians need offensive firepower this summer, and don't really have any holes to fill in the bullpen, some extra depth at both spots would make a lot of sense for this Guardians team.

Rosenthal and Sammon called for Guardians fans to keep an eye out for bullpen and rotation additions, as they are underrated needs for this Guardians team this summer.

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