How to make the best of a lost year
I think its safe to say that the Guardians fans, front office, coaching staff, and probably players, know the dream is dead in 2025. For some reason this team seems to compete when they aren’t expected (two wins vs the Astros, for example), and fold when they are (the past month). Enough about the negative aspects of this season though, lets focus on how to make the rest of the year a net positive.
Number 1: Cut Your Losses and Don’t Look Back
The Guardians are 15.5 games back in the division, 6.5 back in the wildcard race, and are the coldest team in baseball; don’t overthink it. The Guardians have a troop of rentals to sell on and not a single one (excluding maybe Hedges) should be on the roster come August 1st. None of those players are going to garner a valuable return and that is fine! The most important part of trading them is getting them off the roster.
Santana, Thomas, and Junis are all likely to have at least one suitor in a big field of pseudo-contenders who don’t want to overextend themselves. Paul Sewald will definitely have multiple suitors as a result of his favorable peripheral stats and track record. Even Hedges might have a suitor, he was traded to the eventual World Series winners at the 2023 deadline. Though Hedges is the rental I would by far be the least annoyed about keeping, Ingle hasn’t touched AAA yet and the veteran leadership is arguably more important in a development period.
In short: Clear the roster of players with no future here.
Number 2: Development Takes Priority Over Winning
Throughout the 2025 season Stephen Vogt has platooned more than any other team in baseball. I love it for a team trying the win, hate it for the development of young players. Kyle Manzardo and eventually Kayfus plus DeLauter will be done no favors by sitting more often than necessary. To compete in the near future, the Guardians simply need at least 2 of those 3 to be everyday players and the second half is the perfect time to let them settle into that role. Kyle Manzardo needs to be a better defender at first base, now is the time to get him every rep possible.
On the pitching side, get more relievers familiar with leverage situations. Specifically: Sabrowski, Enright, and Aleman. I will include Trevor Stephan in this as well though I already expect them to work him back into leverage situations as he makes his return to MLB.
If those decisions lead to more losses then so be it. Honestly, that might be an added bonus with the draft lottery looming in the offseason.
Number 3: Get Uncomfortable and Take a Swing at the Deadline
The three most valuable trade assets the Guardians have (with a reasonable chance of being moved) are Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan, and Shane Bieber. The Guardians front office has historically been hesitant to move players in situations like theirs but complacent inaction is exactly what brought the Guardians to where they are right now. Kickstart the rebuild/retool no matter how much it hurts.
Now, there is no need to get desperate while shopping them around, it is entirely possible that keeping these players is better than the returns they are offered. Particularly Steven Kwan’s hypothetical return would have to be more than a no-brainer.
The suitors are lining up for Emmanuel Clase, with the Cubs and Dodgers as the obvious suitors and reports of the Mets being involved in his market as well. The more the merrier for the Guardians and a bidding war can result in a great return for the Guardians.
The situation with Shane Bieber is the most complicated of the three, there is really no way for us to know right now how much interest Bieber will have, or if there will be any interest at all.
Number 4: Banish “Guards Ball” and Find an Identity
Myself, and many of you, want nothing to do with that awful saying anymore. The current iteration of the Guardians are playing sloppy, slow, and airheaded baseball; the exact opposite of what the previous teams identity was. A new identity needs to be forged and it needs to happen organically. What identity, and how do they find it? I don’t know, but I do know that new blood on the team can make a big impact on team culture.
Number 5: Bring in New Voices to the Front Office and Coaching Staff
I am cheating by including an offseason goal as my 5th point, but this might be the most important one.
With one of the longest tenured GMs, Mike Rizzo, being fired this past week, there is going to be a lot of movement in the market of front office personnel this offseason. In the past Guardians GM Mike Chernoff has been targeted by larger market teams trying to make a change and he declined, but you have to imagine he is on the list of guys the Nationals will be taking a good look at.
Even if the Guardians don’t have an executive poached—they need to bring in a voice and give them authority to make changes in the hitting department of this organization. A name I have become enamored with is James Click, his resume includes: Rays front office member from 2006-2019 serving as VP of baseball operations from 2017 onwards, Astros GM from 2020-2022, and currently he is the Blue Jays VP of baseball strategy.
There are so many people out there, from multiple organizations, that could leave a big impact here in Cleveland. I hope more than anything that this season has been the final straw for a Guardians Front Office that seems to only ever hire internally.
Final Thoughts
Those are my 5 keys to competing next season. I tried to keep them within the realm of possibility, as we all know this team constantly moves with a lack of urgency. Personally I would rather see the Guardians overcorrect than change nothing at all. I realize that may be a pipedream at this point but I think many of you share that sentiment with me.
Let me know in the comments what other points you would have included in my list!