This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/guardians as Cleveland Guardians Slapped With Bad News Before Trade Deadline. The Cleveland Guardians are quite a mystery heading into the MLB trade deadline, as no one seems to know whether they will buy, sell or possibly even do nothing before July 31.

The Guardians looked like they might be sellers after a 10-game skid but an 11-2 stretch has them back into the Wild Card race. So are they a buyer?

As the Cleveland Guardians have played themselves back into wild-card contention in the American League, their desire to sell prior to the trade deadline remains a mystery even though teams are calling them.