The Cleveland Guardians will likely have to battle tooth and nail for a postseason spot.

At 34-32 and nine games back of the Detroit Tigers for the American League Central lead, it feels like the Guardians will remain in the thick of that ever-contested Wild Card battle.

Cleveland sits just one game back of the Minnesota Twins for the final spot, and should this season stay the course, some trade deadline acquisitions could go a long way for them.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently listed Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu as a possible target for the Guardians.

Here is what a potential deal between the two could look like:

Guardians receive: RF Wilyer Abreu

Red Sox receive: RHP Slade Cecconi, OF Johnathan Rodríguez (No. 12), LHP Parker Messick (No. 13)

This may be too rich a package for Cleveland to part with, but Abreu is not a cheap asset. The 25-year-old is in his second full-time season in Boston and has done well to build on his Gold Glove/sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting campaign.

Abreu has a .245 batting average, a .792 OPS, a 118 OPS+, 13 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 24 walks to 54 strikeouts this season. This is all while providing elite defense in right field, an area of major concern for the Guardians so far.

The Nolan Jones (.211 batting average, .591 OPS, 68 OPS+) and Jhonkensy Noel (.146 batting average, .392 OPS, 10 OPS+) platoon is not producing anywhere near a postseason standard and would greatly benefit from an everyday starter such as Abreu.

Cecconi is a young pitcher with upside, but a surplus on a rotation that already features Tanner Bible, Luis Ortiz, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen, and Ben Lively.

Both Messick and Rodríguez are top-15 prospects for Cleveland, but they are worthy sacrifices for a player like Abreu, who is not a free agent until after the 2029 season.

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