As the MLB trade deadline approaches, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves balancing competing timelines, player absences, and the long-term health of the franchise.

“I truly feel like there's a good chance that he might not be here the rest of the year,” pregame show host and former Cleveland Indians catcher Chris Gimenez said of Luis Ortiz’s ongoing absence. “That guy's stuff is disgusting. And you know, obviously apparently too disgusting because he's got himself in in a little bit of hot water.”

“We hope that nothing nefarious is going on,” Gimenez added. “There’s always contingency plans no matter what. That would be the same thing if Tanner got hurt or Gavin got hurt—and heaven forbid, knock on wood, that doesn’t happen.”

The front office has been forced to consider multiple scenarios.

“You could see them kind of pivot in, you know, if they do decide they need something,” Gimenez explained. “You don’t have that August 31st deadline to where you can claim somebody on waivers, take on that salary. You have to do all your evil doing right here... Hopefully you do it before July 31st. You almost have to prepare for your contingency to contingency to contingency plans.”

Fans were surprised when a recent report from Jeff Passan included key names like Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase among potential trade targets.

“Do I think they would ever give up those two guys? Yes, I do,” Chris said. “It would have to be the most perfect package.”

“We don’t have to give either one of those guys up,” he continued. “We've got three years left of Kwan, we've got potentially three years left of Clase. That is extremely valuable on the open market.”

“If a team doesn't come close to meeting it, you just shut down conversations and it's not a big deal.”

Despite the speculation, there’s a realistic chance the Guardians could pursue a hybrid approach at the deadline.

“I could also see it being a possibility to where they do kind of buy and sell,” he said. “It’s a scary conversation because you don't want to think about life, you know, without those two guys.”

“You can throw Cade Smith into that too. The value of those three guys right now is astronomically high,” Gimenez added. “Just thinking about the return you potentially could get back for something like that... it's tantalizing.”

Clubhouse dynamics play a major role, especially during trade season.

“Those guys in the clubhouse are reading the same things that we're all reading,” he said. “They’ve done exactly what they needed to do. They took the series against Oakland. Now it's a big series against Baltimore.”

“You just have to continue to focus one game at a time and not get caught up in that.”

Reflecting on past deadlines, the energy and belief that can come from a big move isn’t lost on players.

“2015 I was in Texas... we ended up winning the division that year,” Gimenez said. “Acquiring Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson... like, holy crap.”

“My favorite one was obviously ‘16... we knew we were close,” he said. “There was the biggest celebration ever when we found out we got Andrew Miller.”

“We were like, ‘Holy crap, man. Like, we're going to win the World Series right now.’”

The right trade, at the right time, can spark a playoff push.

“Absolutely... it can send subliminal messages to the clubhouse,” he said. “You might not necessarily give a crap about a 22-year-old who's supposed to be really good because your time to win a World Series is right now.”

“Anything that’s thrown out there from the organization standpoint is kind of for a reason,” Gimenez concluded. “It can absolutely reinvigorate you.”