ALCS Exit Strategy: 3 Moves Guardians Must Make this…
Before the playoffs started, it looked as if there was a ceiling for the Cleveland Guardians– one that did not quite reach the World Series. A restricted payroll, injuries, lack of starting pitching depth, and offensive inconsistency presaged postseason turbulence. Those concerns became October weaknesses in the American League Championship Series. And yet, they still had opportunities to push the New York Yankees to the brink.
A five-game ouster could have been a legitimate fight for a pennant but instead descended into multiple agonizing defeats. The Guardians’ downfall was not necessarily because of their aforementioned flaws, however. The primary cause of their premature undoing was their inability to play the brand of fundamental baseball they pride themselves on executing on a daily basis.
Fielding miscues and an inexplicably abysmal Emmanuel Clase prevented Cleveland from instilling genuine fear into Yankees fans, the MLB and executives at Fox. Strangely, though, the huge impact of their untimely blunders suggest that this team’s ceiling might actually be higher than what I and many others believed it to be.
Ownership has shown little interest in investing in the product to this point, and an uneven playoff performance could only further steer the Dolan family away from aggressive spending. Though, moves still need to be made in order to ensure that this overachieving ballclub capitalizes on its standout 2024 campaign.
Fans know better than to become allured by superstar free agents, but there are a couple of available players who can help a gritty group become a dangerous one next October.
