CLEVELAND — Welcome to baseball's trade deadline frenzy season.

The Guardians find themselves securely in the "buyer" category as they lead the American League Central (in addition to having the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft) with fewer than four weeks left until the trade deadline hits July 30.

Contenders all over the league will spend the next few weeks trying to position themselves for a run to October by filling any roster needs.

After winning two of three games against the Chicago White Sox, the Guardians went into Friday with a 54-31 record and a six-game lead in the AL Central, but they also have some clear-cut weaknesses to be addressed.

Although the Guardians' spending habits have been criticized in the past, they have shown an openness to be aggressive when the time is right and a chance to make a run in the postseason presents itself.

The Guardians made additions late in the season in 2016 (Andrew Miller, Brandon Guyer and they tried to add Jonathan Lucroy before he vetoed the deal), 2017 (Jay Bruce, who played a key role during the 22-game winning streak), 2018 (Josh Donaldson) and 2019 (Brad Hand).

The Guardians not only have the need to add at the trade deadline as a contender, they also have the means with a healthy farm system that will only be further bolstered next week with the MLB Draft, in which they hold three of the top 48 selections, including the No. 1 pick who will instantly be a top-30 prospect in the league.

Cleveland is in a rare position of being a contender at the major league level while also knowing they could deal a few prospects and then have their minor league system replenished to this high of a degree with the draft.

Guardians trade deadline 2024 needs: Starting rotation is the top target

The Guardians' focus at this trade deadline will likely be trained on their starting rotation, which has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency.

Shane Bieber is done for the year. Triston McKenzie was just demoted to Triple-A to work on command issues. Logan Allen has struggled to find his footing. Gavin Williams only just returned from the injured list, and he was hit hard in his season debut. Carlos Carrasco, at 37, has had some rough sledding. The Guardians added veteran Matthew Boyd, but he's returning from Tommy John surgery.

The Guardians need a starting pitcher. The problem? Due to a rash of pitching injuries across baseball, most of the contenders need a starter, and there aren't as many teams who are clear, sure-fire sellers this season. Those two factors have narrowed the market and might drive price tags in any trade higher than normal.

It's possible, after July 30 passes, that you see a few general managers who added at the deadline suddenly missing an arm and a leg.

Now if the starting pitcher market and rising asking prices prove to be too rich the Guardians' blood — Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have often said they'll explore any avenue, but they're also balancing short-term and long-term goals for contending, so the aim is to be smart about any deal with that in mind — Cleveland could pivot and instead bolster its league-best bullpen.

Although it isn't a need in the same way, the Guardians could add another dynamic arm and then lean on the bullpen in a more aggressive way in the postseason, somewhat similar to their 2016 run that relied heavily on Miller, Cody Allen and a few others.

Guardians 2024 trade deadline need: A hitter to lengthen the lineup

It seems like the Guardians just about always need one more bat. The 2024 lineup has exceeded expectations by miles and powered the team's red-hot first half, but the space exists to lengthen the batting order after Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor and David Fry.

And because of the Guardians' high level of positional flexibility, they could add hitters at a number of different positions and then adjust the lineup to fit them into the mix. Manager Stephen Vogt has been able to rotate the designated hitter role between several players, which is a luxury, but it would afford Cleveland the chance to pursue a number of avenues.

Jhonkensy Noel and Kyle Manzardo are both possible solutions to that problem, but it's far from a sure thing.

The opportunities exist, and they're warranted. The question is if the juice (price tags) will be worth the squeeze.

MLB trade deadline 2024: Who are the sellers and buyers?

There are really only five teams who are truly, totally out of it and look to be no-doubt sellers: Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels.

After those five, there are five teams that are likely sellers, or teams that could move certain players in the right environment: Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals.

In other words, there are potentially 20 teams targeting players from five teams for sure, and maybe 10 overall. It's a sellers' market.

Two of those 10 teams being in the Guardians' division might not help matters as far as Cleveland is concerned, though the notion of not trading within the division might not be quite as steadfast as in the past.

Guardians trade deadline 2024 targets: Garrett Crochet, Yusei Kikuchi, Jack Flaherty among the top options

Leading the list of the frontline-level starters who should be available on the trade market is White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (3.7 fWAR), who has had a tremendous season after transitioning to the rotation and is under club control through 2026. The price tag will likely be sky high because, although the White Sox are rebuilding, they don't need to move Crochet this summer.

Crochet's teammate, right-hander Erick Fedde (2.3 fWAR), would make more sense as a trade chip before the deadline. He's put together a nice season after returning from Korea and is under contract through next season at $7.5 million a year.

Blue Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi (1.8 fWAR) will be a free agent at the end of the year and could be a more affordable rental. Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (0.9 fWAR) is in the second year of a three-year, $39 million deal, and he's had a stronger season.

Tigers righty Jack Flaherty (2.1 fWAR) has had a resurgent season and is a free agent at the end of the year. It'd be an inter-division trade, but it would likely make sense for both sides' contention windows.

The Rangers might not sell, but Nathan Eovaldi (1.3 fWAR) would likely be moved if Texas goes that direction. Eovaldi, though, has a $20 million vesting option for 2025, which might complicate things.

If the Blue Jays do sell, the Guardians could bring home Chris Bassitt (1.8 fWAR), a former University of Akron pitcher. Bassitt is 35 and will make $22 million next season.

Miami's Jesus Luzardo represents an interesting case as a pitcher with a high ceiling, and one who is under club control through 2026, but also one who will remain on the 60-day injured list past the trade deadline.

These are some of the more impactful pitchers who might be made available via trade later this month. If the asking prices are too high, the Guardians might have to opt for more of a depth, back-end-of-the-rotation type addition, similar to Matthew Boyd.

MLB Trade deadline 2024: Will Mason Miller be dealt?

If the Guardians were to add a reliever in lieu of a starter, Oakland closer Mason Miller is easily the top prize for any contender — if he's even available. The A's will sell, but Miller has been arguably the game's best reliever (1.6 fWAR) and is under club control through 2029, so Oakland holds all the leverage.

The asking price will be astronomical. But the Guardians can have fun dreaming of a Miller-Clase tandem in Cleveland for the next several years (before Oakland's eventual demands snap them back to reality).

Miami's Tanner Scott (0.4 fWAR) is a prime candidate to be part of a trade deadline deal as a talented reliever who can be a free agent at the end of the year. Scott has arguably been one of the league's top 10 relievers.

The Angels' Carlos Estevez (0.7 fWAR) and the Rangers' Kirby Yates (1.1 fWAR) could also be options.

Guardians trade deadline 2024: Brent Rooker, Taylor Ward, Paul DeJong, Jesse Winker, Miguel Andujar could be top targets to add to lineup

Because of the Guardians' positional flexibility, they could add a hitter at just about any position and able to adjust from there, leaving them with dozens of possible options on the position player front.

Among the more impactful options who also could be the best fits based on availability and asking price, two are with the Oakland A's: Brent Rooker and Miguel Andujar.

Rooker (1.9 fWAR) is more of a DH, which could bring his asking price down a bit, and that'd be fine for what the Guardians need. They'd lose some flexibility with the lineup but could put him in right field when needed and he would add a productive bat to the order. Rooker is under club control through 2027, which would boost his trade value quite a bit.

Andujar (0.3 fWAR) would be much less expensive to acquire. He's on his third team in as many years, but at 29 has played well, has a salary hit of just $1.7 million and is under control through next year.

Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (1.2 fWAR) also figures to warrant a robust trade market. Ward, a native of Dayton, Ohio, has two more years of club control after 2024, which will make him a more expensive than his teammate Kevin Pillar (1.1 fWAR), who is 35 and only under contract for the remainder of this season.

Shortstops Paul DeJong (1.3 fWAR) of the White Sox and Bo Bichette (0.4 fWAR) of the Blue Jays could also be fits. DeJong matched his home run total from 2023 in only 70 games this season. He'd be a rental who can be a free agent at the end of the year, making him a perfect trade candidate for the bottom-dwelling White Sox.

Bichette is struggling a bit this season but is coming off three consecutive years with at least 4.0 FWAR, which is borderline All-Star level, and he's still only 26 years old. Bichette is under contract through next season.

Two of the biggest names who might be available are White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (0.8 fWAR) and Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr (1.9 fWAR).

Robert is an All-Star-level talent when healthy and is still, somehow, only 26 years old, though it feels like he's been with the White Sox for a decade. He, too, is under contract through next season. The problem is that Robert has played 100 games in a season only once in his career (though he played in 56 of the 60 games during the shortened 2020 season).

Guerrero hasn't been able to replicate his explosive 2021 season in which he hit 48 home runs, but he's been a productive and durable power hitter in Toronto each year since that time. It remains to be seen just how much the Blue Jays dive into seller mode, but they have a number of attractive players who will garner attention league-wide.

Some other players to watch are Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker, Blue Jays first baseman Justin Turner, White Sox outfielders Tommy Pham and Andrew Benintendi, Blue Jays shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians 2024 MLB trade deadline preview, possible targets