Cleveland Got Worse at the Deadline; Thank the Dolans

In a neck and neck race for the division, the Guardians could have easily improved their line up given the under performing Twins. Instead, they traded top pitcher Aaron Civale with two more years of team control to the Tampa Bay Rays for a first basemen prospect.

What is Cleveland doing? They had a chance to strike big and run away with the division. Once again, they seem desperate to let the Twins—who also opted for a very quiet deadline—stay in the race.

Their biggest addition was dealing away their poorly performing starting shortstop Amed Rosario to the Los Angeles Dodgers for an even more risky choice: former All Star starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard took a one year deal with the Dodgers during the off season in the hopes their development team might turn him into a high quality rebound like Tyler Anderson or Andrew Heaney . But Syndergaard seemed more focused on bringing back his velocity than his pitch design, ending up on the Injured List as a way to stash him rather than let him throw. Cleveland’s plan seems to be to try their own development, and his Guardians debut against the Astros looks good until he took a ball to the knee (though xWOBA tells a very different story), but it's hard to say whether real changes in approach are coming. 

Another trade? Giving up recent acquisition Josh Bell for the Marlins' Jean Segura, who has a 55 WRC+ this season and the Guardians plan on immediately releasing, alongside shortstop prospect Kahlil Watson.

So once again, Cleveland acted more as a seller than a buyer. It has worked out in the past—just ask a 2022 team that almost slipped by the Yankees in the Division series. But why can’t the Guardians build on this weak division and become perennial contenders rather than slipping in thanks to injuries?

The truth is always been what it is: The Dolan Family, father Larry and son Paul, are the biggest culprit in keeping the Guardians from real competition. The ownership family has continually run a payroll less than half of the White Sox and Twins. They have one of the most underrated players in baseball accept a ridiculously team friendly extension worth less than Carlos Correa’s foot-hampered price tag. They get $19 million a year from city and state officials to pay for their stadium while bringing in over $250 million. The Dolan family is worth over $5 billion; what is a couple of all stars to mix in with their standout graduates from the farm? Why own a team if you don't want them to win?

Attendance is up by 44% this season for this young and exciting team, and the front officer would rather create disappointment more than excitement.

Cleveland has at least some good reasons to stay wary about a long October run this year. The run support of last year’s single-mashing team has put them in a worse place than the Twins’ shaky offense (they ran 23rd compared to Minnesota at 15th). Three of their top starters are sidelined with iffy return dates, while their rookies are reaching their innings limits. But that should be all reasons to add, especially with a farm still ranked #2 despite major promotions in the last two years.

The only reason teams like the White Sox and the Twins have been able to steal so many division titles over the years is Dolans' refusal to put any chips in. Instead, they will roll the dice and hope Minnesota falters. Not an impossible hope, but one that benefits less competition rather than more.