It would have been understandable if the Guardians had phoned it in at the trade deadline. They were 40-48 on July 6th and had just lost their 10th game in a row. Starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz was facing an MLB suspension for illegal gambling activity. Just a few weeks later, star closer Emmanuel Clase would join him on administrative leave for the same potential infraction. It seemed like a given that fellow veterans Carlos Santana, Steven Kwan, and others might be traded at the deadline, with the team turning the page to 2026.

Instead, the Guardians came out of the gates hot after the All-Star break, held firm at the trade deadline, and then doubled down and promoted one of their top prospects, C.J. Kayfus, at the start of August.

Kayfus was the Guardians’ third-round pick in the 2023

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