A few thoughts...
1) Burnes, not Scherzer, is the best pitcher in baseball this year. We saw it last night.
2) The competition for MLB positions doesn't entail merely Spring training. It begins the first time a kid steps on a practice field as a pro, and doesn't end until he is retired.
Johnson always showed athletic ability...tools...but seldom showed baseball ability...skills. His profile and scouting reports always read 'toolsy, but raw.' It never changed.
3) Obviously, the offense needs improvement. Nobody says it doesn't. But the biggest problem on this team has been pitching, pitching, pitching.
The answer to the pitching problem can be summed up in one word. HEALTH
Even with the lack of offense, this team would be contending right now with a rotation that had remained intact.
4) The team is still trying to win, but the FO has moved on to next year. If the rotation had remained healthy, we wouldn't be seeing a lot of the kids we are seeing now. The FO would have made a move for offense at the deadline. It was widely reported that the FO had made inquiries on multiple offensive pieces in July.
This is not the offense we will see next year.
Only three players on the roster right now have more PAs than Harold. That is not gonna happen next year. Harold won't even be on the roster.
Since the deadline, four players have played second base. That is not gonna happen next year.
Since Eddie got hurt, five players have played in the outfield corners. Three of them will probably not be on the opening day roster. One will be our DH.
Zimmer, Harold, Chang, Miller, Clement, Johnson, and Mercado have combined for over 1200 PAs...just under one fourth of the teams PAs. A lot of those PAs will be replaced by real MLB hitters.
We are basically watching spring training games right now. Wringing our hands about the offense right now as if it is the offense we will see in 2022 is fruitless, because it isn't.
Every game for every MLB and MiLB player is a tryout. We are watching tryouts for the 24th and 25th spots on the opening day roster, with the exception of Gimenez. While they may not know it, there are a lot of players in other orgs that are competing for the starting roles for the Guardians.