CLEVELAND — As the clock struck 6 p.m. ET on Monday, I asked a Guardians source whether they were completing any final moves that hadn’t yet trickled out to the public.“Only the two buzzer beaters,” they texted back.Yeah, only. The Guardians, typically stealthy and deliberate and gun-shy and sometimes patient and risk-averse to a fault, certainly shot their shot. They swung three trades on Monday, and four in all leading up to the deadline. They acquired five players: an All-Star starting pitcher (Foster Griffin), a left-handed-hitting first baseman with an .820 OPS (Nathaniel Lowe), a right-handed-hitting outfielder with power (Jo Adell), a reliever with a mind-bending changeup (Craig Yoho) and a defensive-minded outfielder who was assigned to Triple A (Blake Perkins).Now, the players have flaws. But they help fill glaring deficiencies that the previous roster couldn’t conquer on its own.The American League is wide open. The Guardians can sense the opportunity at hand.Let’s dive into their wheeling and dealing.The Guardians will option first baseman Kyle Manzardo and utility man David Fry to Triple-A Columbus to clear spots for Adell and Lowe. No contender needed offensive upgrades more desperately than the Guardians, who own the league’s worst team OPS. Fry hasn’t collected a hit since July 2. He’s 0-for-25 with 10 strikeouts since. Manzardo actually enjoyed a strong week at the plate, but much of the season has been a struggle. Lowe, who boasts an .820 OPS this season, will assume his reps at first base against right-handed pitching.Who won and lost the MLB trade deadline?Andy McCullough and Johnny SweetThe Guardians have discussed Adell with the Angels on several occasions over the years, including as early as 2018, the year after he was the 10th overall pick in the draft, a team source told The Athletic.What Adell does best is what the Guardians have done worst this season. He totes a .303/.339/.571 slash line against lefties. The Guardians rank 28th in the league with a .653 team OPS against southpaws, and three hitters tasked first and foremost with feasting on lefties — Fry, Angel Martínez and Rhys Hoskins — have failed in that regard. The three have compiled OPS figures of .609, .631 and .634, respectively, against lefties this season.To acquire Adell, the club coughed up catching prospect Jacob Cozart, who sat behind Patrick Bailey, Austin Hedges, Cooper Ingle and Kody Huff on the organizational depth chart. The Guardians planned all along to trade Bo Naylor, who they all but dismissed from their plans when they traded for Bailey in early May. They felt confident in their depth in the upper levels of the minors to part with Cozart, too.Nathaniel Lowe sports an .820 OPS this season. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)Now, how often will Adell face righties? Team president Chris Antonetti relayed Monday night that the Guardians think Adell can improve against righties. Splits can wildly fluctuate from year to year. His splits were less pronounced last season, when he enjoyed a career year, with 37 homers and a .778 OPS.2025 vs. LHP: .931 OPS