After A Great Season, Guards’ Ownership Cuts Spending

Regular readers of this site can figure out our age by when we started following sports in northeast Ohio. The starting point for us was 1965, and we recently were thinking about our relationship with the Cleveland baseball team in that period.

From 1965-1990, the Indians were poorly financed and poorly run. The ownership and front office wanted to win, but they had no money, forcing management to trade many young players because they couldn’t afford them.

Think about players like Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles, who became mainstays of a couple Yankee World Championship clubs. They had Dennis Eckersley, Buddy Bell, and Julio Franco who were all either great (Eck is in the Hall of Fame) or very good, but were traded for prospects or the dreaded “we’ll get three average players for one real good one” move.

From 1991-2001 were the halcyon days. Jacobs Field opened in 1994, and attendance was at a franchise peak for a sustained time. The Indians were well run, well financed, and ownership was motivated to break the at the time 40-year drought between post-season appearances.

Cleveland was in the top ten (some years top five) in payroll. Big name free agents signed here, first veterans like Eddie Murray, Dennis Martinez, and Orel Hershiser, and later coveted ones like Jack McDowell, Kenny Lofton, and Roberto Alomar.

And then we have from 2002 to the present. There is no question the team is well run. The front office, especially with Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff is charge does a solid job. Financially, in spite of the constant whining and moaning about the lack of money, they are solid, the biggest difference between now and the previous two eras is this ownership doesn’t seem to have an overwhelming desire to win.

One of our tried-and-true theories is the everyone likes to win. Who wouldn’t? It’s fun. However, there is a huge difference between liking to win and hating to lose. Our favorite athletes are the one who will do anything to avoid a loss.

As owners, the Dolans are the former, they like to win. However, we don’t think they are obsessed with ending the franchise’s World Series drought, which has now reached 76 years.

This comes up again because of a report that the Guardians payroll being reduced from the beginning of the 2024 season, after a season where the team won a playoff series and got to the AL Championship Series, baseball’s Final Four, if you will.

Also, attendance was up. After years of the ownership saying they would spend when the fans showed up (that’s not the way it works in business by the way), slightly over 222,000 folks went to Progressive Field in ’24, the 6th highest increase in the majors.

And they are spending less on players.

This is not to suggest the Guardians can spend like the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and a few other big market teams. But reducing the payroll after a wildly successful season is a slap in the face to the fans.

It’s not like this Guards’ roster doesn’t have holes. Impartial observers see problems with both the everyday lineup and the starting rotation.

Even the staunchest defender the Guardians’ owners should be appalled by this development. We’ve already heard the excuse about the television broadcast deal, but it should not stop them from trying to get to another World Series.

We don’t know what will happen during the ’25 baseball season, and we have been a fan of this baseball team for 60 years. We want them to win. We’ve said it before, but wishing and hoping isn’t a plan. Get the payroll to the level of other teams of this size market, like Milwaukee or Kansas City.

Do something to make another team have the longest span since winning a World Series.

Time Is Running Short To Improve The Guardians

The calendar has turned to 2025 and the holidays (and winter meetings) has passed, so we think it is appropriate to ask exactly what is going on at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Besides the construction on Progressive Field.

We understand spring training hasn’t started yet, and a big move could occur tomorrow, but as of right now, it doesn’t seem like the Cleveland Guardians are building on their success of last season.

This is a team that went to the American League Championship Series. They won 92 games and beat Detroit in the Division Series. But honestly, we don’t think anyone could say the Guardians are a better squad than the one that was eliminated in five games by the Yankees.

Although we understood the major moves made by Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, the truth is the Guardians who were 7th in the AL in runs scored in ’24 traded their third best hitter in Josh Naylor for some magic beans.

And they moved their Gold Glove second baseman in Andres Gimenez, but in that deal, they did get a much-needed starting pitcher in Luis Ortiz

They did sign veteran Carlos Santana for a third go round with the franchise, but his numbers from the last three seasons suggest he should be a platoon player, with the bulk of his production coming from the right side of the plate.

According to the messages being put out there by the front office, the Guardians view him as an everyday player, and we wonder how quickly a sub 700 OPS vs. righties in the lineup each game will get old. Perhaps as old as Santana, who will be 39 next season.

Even with the deal with Pittsburgh for Ortiz, who should be in the rotation to open the season, the rotation is filled with question marks outside of Tanner Bibee.

Gavin Williams has the look of a top of the rotation pitcher, but he has 32 big league starts and 4.06 ERA. Ben Lively was solid last season but has the profile of a journeyman.

And the organization cannot have any true idea what they have in Triston McKenzie, who battled elbow issues in ’23 and control issues in ’24.

Of the everyday players, there is the incomparable Jose Ramirez at 3B, Steven Kwan in LF, and ????? Lane Thomas should hold down another outfield spot, but he’s kind of a platoon player, great vs. lefties, so-so vs. RHP.

Kyle Manzardo and his 145 big league at bats should be a regular. Brayan Rocchio has a great post-season but had a 614 OPS in the regular season. And at 2B and RF, we are sure this will be a spring training competition.

Right now, the biggest strength of the roster is also the most volatile, the bullpen. We believe it’s a reach to think Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, and Tim Herrin will all perform on the same level next year.

Once again, the ownership isn’t investing in the team. We understand the situation about the local broadcast revenue, and we know the Dolan family cannot spend like the Dodgers and the Yankees, but they have the cash. They simply choose not to put it toward the ballclub.

We sometimes feel that the Guardians’ ownership doesn’t deserve the great fans they have because they do nothing to build excitement. Heck, they even cancelled the winter meet and greet with the players this off-season.

Yes, there is still time, but it is under 50 days until spring training starts. On paper, the Guardians are a team full of more questions than answers.

If Browns Learn Anything, It Should Be The Current Structure Doesn’t Work

That the Cleveland Browns are 3-9 this season is bad enough for a fan, what might be even more frustrating is that there doesn’t seem to be a singular person to blame.

Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam talk about a “collaborative” effort in running the Browns. Apparently, the decision makers would be the owners, we think their son-in-law, J. W. Johnson is in the group, along with GM Andrew Berry, Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, and coach Kevin Stefanski.

Is this a good way to run a football operation or any sports franchise? We would think it isn’t.

We are sure there are many people who are asked for input with both the Guardians and Cavaliers’ organizations, but we know who the final decision is made by. For the baseball team, it is team president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff. And with the Cavs, it is president of basketball operations Koby Altman.

If things aren’t going well, they are the people fans and media alike can point the finger at. And at least in the Guardians’ case, when the team isn’t playing well or questions need to be answered, Antonetti faces the media and provides answers.

And although Altman doesn’t conduct a lot of pressers, everyone in the basketball world understands he and GM Mike Gansey are making the basketball decisions.

In both of these cases, we are sure the ownership is aware of what is going on and gives the final okay, but as owners, that’s the way it should be.

With the Cavaliers, it wasn’t always that way. Dan Gilbert went through coaches and general managers on what seemed to be every other year basis, but since his health issues, the basketball operations are more front and center.

This odd structure for the Browns leads to a lot of questions, particularly earlier this season, when there were questions (and rightly so) about who made the decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and why was he continuing to play?

We still don’t know, and that’s a problem for people wanting a fall guy. Let’s face it, whoever was the person in the organization thumping the loudest for the former Texans’ QB should be fired. It was that bad of a mistake.

Instead, Stefanski has to answer questions as to whether or not he, the coach of the team, can make a decision to bench the player. And although Stefanski says he can, we think even his critics know he’s a smart man, and surely, he cannot think Watson was the best option if the Browns wanted to win.

If you want a laugh, type “bad quotes about committees” into your search browser. There are tons of comments from smart people about how the worst way to make a decision is to form a committee to discuss them.

The best thing the Haslams can learn from the Watson situation is they need to have someone in charge of football operations and let that man make the football decisions, including having the coach and GM report to him.

When John Dorsey supposedly in charge here, the head coach at the time, Hue Jackson, supposedly reported to the owner.

All that does is encourage an “it’s not my fault, it’s his fault” scenario.

The Browns need someone to answer the big picture football related questions. And too often, that role falls in Stefanski’s lap, because he’s the only guy who talks to the media (he tries not to say anything) regularly.

The collaboration method hasn’t worked. Hire someone with a vast knowledge of the game and let all football people report to him. And have his voice and only his voice tell ownership what needs to be done.

The wise man knows what he doesn’t know. And a committee didn’t come up with that quote.

Guards Biggest Needs: Starting Pitching (Duh) And???

The Major League Baseball trading deadline is Tuesday afternoon and there is a lot of speculation on what the Cleveland Guardians will do before then.

Of course, there are the callous fans who think they will do nothing, it will be status quo for the front office, after all, the Guardians have the best record in the American League and one of the best records in baseball with the current group of players.

But we know the other competitors for post-season spots will make moves to get better, so president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have to seek to make the roster better in order to “keep up with the Joneses”.

In terms of WAR (wins over the replacement), the Guardians chief need is no surprise, it’s starting pitching. A few years ago, Cleveland had a rotation of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, and Shane Bieber, and with that, you knew they had a chance to win every night.

Those guys were that good.

These days, you can only have confidence when Tanner Bibee and the surprising Ben Lively take the hill. Gavin Williams is still working his way back from an elbow issue, and his last few starts have been hit or miss. Hopefully, that improves going forward.

Carlos Carrasco was a nice story coming out of spring training, but he’s allowed 106 hits in 95 innings and has an ERA of 5.68. Pitching five innings and giving up three runs is not a good outing.

And the fifth spot is a revolving door right now.

We hear a lot of talk about upgrading at SS, and surprisingly, the other positions where the Guardians are getting the worst production are catcher and right field, not shortstop.

We doubt catcher is considered an area of need by the organization and we agree with that. Now that David Fry’s elbow is allowing him to play the position, we think the Guardians are satisfied with him, Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges, although with Fry back, the latter’s at bats can be few and farther between.

Perhaps that’s where Angel Martinez and Jhonkensy Noel should be getting their at bats? Will Brennan has received the bulk of the playing time there, but he provides neither power (.379 slugging percentage) or the ability to get on base (.291 on base percentage) walking just 16 times in 247 plate appearances.

That’s a bad combination particularly for someone who plays a corner outfield spot.

We agree that it would be nice if Brayan Rocchio hit more. But he is the best defensive shortstop option on the squad, and we have always said you need seven solid bats in your lineup to have a good offense.

Anyone else the team plays at short now that Gabriel Arias was sent down seems to have issues with the glove. And if your pitching staff, particularly the starters, are struggling, you have to put solid defenders behind them.

Actually, the best way the offense can be helped would be for their best hitters to start producing again. If Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor started swinging the bats again at their career norms, that would go a long way in straightening out the offense.

30 Years Of Pretty Darn Good Baseball In Cleveland

Readers of this site should be familiar with the fact that our first sports memories occurred in 1965. Yes, we missed the Browns’ title. But the first 30 years of baseball remembrances were filled with mediocrity.

From ’65 to 1993, the most games won by the then-Indians was the 87 victories they achieved in that first season. Just a few years later, in 1968, they came in third in the American League with 86 wins.

Those seasons were followed by what can best be described as crap. There were four seasons where the Tribe finished over .500, and they were barely over the break-even mark with a high of 84 wins in 1986.

The reason for the trip down memory lane was the Mark Shapiro-led Toronto Blue Jays’ visit to Cleveland last weekend, and we realized that since 1994 and the opening of Progressive Field, the Indians/Guardians have largely been contenders for a playoff spot or have played in the post-season.

Starting in 1995 (because ’94 was strike shortened), Cleveland has made the playoffs 13 times and have been under the .500 mark just 10 times.

The reason for the Shapiro connection was the only real “down period” since 1994 occurred when he was running the show here.

That’s kind of unfair because he took over when the teams that opened the new ballpark were aging and he had to do a rebuild, and it was pointed out to us that it was a real fear the franchise would go through another 20-30 year drought, but after three sub .500 seasons from 2002-2004, the Indians were contenders in ’05 and won the division and made it to the AL Championship Series in 2007.

The success couldn’t be sustained and from 2008 until Terry Francona took the helm in 2013, Cleveland broke even the first season and won 80 games in 2011. Otherwise, there were three 90-loss seasons.

Since 2013 though, under the leadership of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, the Indians/Guardians have been contenders pretty much every single season, winning 92 games in Francona’s first season, and just two losing seasons, one of them an 80-82 campaign in 2021.

In our early years as a baseball fan, the annual baseball magazines would always have a composite World Series’ results standings and Cleveland was always at two wins and one loss. Three appearances, none from 1954 to 1995.

Since then, Cleveland has doubled that total. Unfortunately, the win column has remained the same as all fans of the team are painfully aware. However, if we revert back to our thoughts in 1984, it would have been a dream to see that franchise in one Fall Classic, let alone three of them.

Based on the Guardians’ great start this year, it looks like another playoff spot will happen in 2024, although we take nothing for granted until the magic number is zero.

However, since 1995, the longest stretch for Cleveland baseball without a post-season appearance is five years (2002-2006 and 2008-2012). That’s a far cry from the 41-year absence we dealt with in our youth.

And when you think about it, should all of the city’s professional sports teams aim for that kind of consistency?

Can Guards Upgrade The Offense More?

The Cleveland Guardians finished 12th in the American League in runs scored a year ago, and so far this season have improved that department greatly.

Over a quarter of the 2024 season has been played, and right now, the Guards are second in the AL in runs.

A year ago, they ranked 12th team OPS, 10th in on base percentage and 14th (second to last) in slugging percentage. To date in ’24, they are 5th in OPS, 6th in on base average, and 7th in slugging percentage.

They famously hit the fewest home runs in the league a year ago, and currently are 6th in the AL.

Everything is much improved.

Could it be improved even more? We hope the improvement doesn’t cause president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff to think the offense couldn’t get better, because with the Guardians’ pitching staff, which ranks 4th in the league in ERA, and particularly the bullpen, which has been dominant, it could raise Steven Vogt’s team even more.

And it is pretty clear where Cleveland can get more production is in the outfield, where two of the most struggling players play.

They made maybe the first move yesterday calling up Johnathan Rodriguez from Columbus and designating Ramon Laureano for assignment.

Rodriguez was hitting well at AAA with an 838 OPS (.276 batting average) with a 25.4% K rate at Columbus, hitting 7 homers and drawing 29 walks. He’s a right-handed hitter.

Rodriguez could be a possible upgrade to the outfield offense.

We say possible because as hot as Kyle Manzardo was in the minors this season, he has gone just 5 for 31 with the big club since his promotion with 10 strikeouts in 33 plate appearances. (NOTE: He struck out in his first five big league at bats).

Laureano really struggled to contribute. He was signed in the off-season because he had a decent track record hitting lefties but had a 518 OPS (.177 batting average with one home run).

And over the last month, he is just 2 for 25 with 15 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. He is a good outfielder with a great arm and the ability to play CF, but it was getting difficult for the organization to find him at bats.

The other outfielder having a tough go is Estevan Florial.

Florial has contributed some huge hits this season, a pinch-hit homer against the Yankees and a three-run blast to tie up a game in Houston, but other than those moments, he has struggled mightily.

He has fanned in 40 of his 103 plate appearances, a whopping 38.8% rate. He has a 596 OPS vs. right-handers (to his credit, he is 4 for 11 vs. southpaws), and over the last month, he is batting just .153 with 26 whiffs in 64 times at the dish (40.6%).

The best left-handed bat in the state capital is Daniel Schneemann, an infielder who has started getting playing time in LF and RF. Should we read into that?

He has come out of nowhere the last two seasons (he batted .205 at Akron in 2022) and this season is hitting .310 with a 1041 OPS. He’s belted 8 round trippers and has walked a team high 35 times.

Schneemann also provides more versatility because he can play both infield and outfield.

Is the organization thinking they can improve the offense more? We know they are always looking for ways to improve the ballclub. The first move has been made, is another one to follow?

Can Guards Deal From Strength And What Would That Mean.

People say the best baseball trades come when a team is dealing from a strength. That almost certainly means if the Cleveland Guardians make a deal this winter, it will involve someone from their pitching staff, right?

We would say the offensively challenged Guards can’t move anyone who shows any talent when swinging the bat. However, Cleveland still has a glut of middle infielders, on both the big-league level and the high levels of the minor leagues.

How they rate (and how other teams rank for that matter) the talent at these positions will show everyone how they feel about these players. Unfortunately, based on how they handled the players this past season, we don’t have a lot of confidence they will do the right thing.

And by the way, that doesn’t mean we think the front office should be revamped. It does mean we hope whoever the new manager will be can change the minds of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff.

Maybe, hopefully, the decision makers move off of the great defense above all else when it comes to the middle of the diamond and they settle for solid glovework with an ability to swing the bat a bit.

You would think that any move made to strengthen the lineup would involve a trade for a starting pitcher, but which player to move?

Many people would say to move Shane Bieber, the most accomplished of the starting rotation, but he is also a free agent after the 2024 season. How much could he bring in return? We believe it wouldn’t be as much as you might think.

Besides the contract situation, Bieber’s price could be muted by injury issues in two of the last three seasons. Although he pitched 200 innings in 2022, he threw just 97 frames in ’21 and 128 innings last season.

It’s hard to imagine he would get the kind of haul in terms of bats that the Guardians would be looking for.

We also would be very reticent to move either Tanner Bibee and/or Gavin Williams. We believe both hurlers have ace potential. Bibee made 25 starts last year, compiling a 2.98 ERA in 142 innings pitched, and maybe pitched his best in the biggest games when the team was still in the race.

Williams looks the part at 6’6″, 250 pounds and fanned 81 hitters in 82 big league innings. The walks may have been more than we would prefer, and he had periods where he may have given major league hitters more credit than they deserve.

So, the most enticing piece to move might be lefty Logan Allen (7-8, 3.81 ERA in 125.1 IP). We like Allen, but as they say, you have to give up something to get something. And if they move the southpaw, they would still have Bibee and Williams, and the durable Cal Quantrill.

We still don’t know about Triston McKenzie’s reliability because of his elbow injury. He did make two starts at the end of the year, totally six innings. He did walk nine hitters in those two starts. Hopefully, he can be a fixture in next year’s rotation, but we can’t feel confident in him being available for all of 2024 right now.

Trading Allen would mean someone would have to emerge from the minors, perhaps Joey Cantillo or Hunter Gaddis to fill out the rotation.

And even if they got a bat in return for a pitcher and Kyle Manzardo hits like projected, the Guardians probably still need another bat to have a very good offense.

No One Will Know What To Expect With Guards’ New Skipper (Probably).

Likely, the first order of business for the Cleveland Guardians is to find a new manager to replace their all-time leader in wins as a skipper in Terry Francona.

We find it funny seeing some fans trumpeting candidates when the names come out that Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are interviewing. It has been reported that Giants’ bullpen coach Craig Albernaz and Yankees’ bench coach Carlos Mendoza have had conversations with Cleveland.

And add in the other speculated candidates like Rangers’ bench coach Will Venable, who was with the Guards in spring training a few years ago and went to college with Chernoff, Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada, and current Cleveland third base coach Mike Sarbaugh.

We would guess the Guardians would be interested if Kevin Cash (739-617) with Tampa Bay) or Craig Counsell (707-625 with Milwaukee) came available. The great Peter Gammons speculated last week that Cash would love to manage in Cleveland, and the front office would love to have him.

However, outside of Cash and Counsell, we really don’t know what you are going to get as from any of the men who have never managed at the big-league level. Bench coaches would seem to have good experience, but there is still a big difference between being someone who “suggests” moves rather than making the ultimate decision.

And it’s also different piloting a minor league team where player development is the goal rather than winning games. We would agree though that handling minor league players well should translate to the big leagues.

If you hire guys who have had success at the big-league level, not only do you get that, but they also understand all that goes along with the job in the majors, meaning dealing with the media, and being exposed to players who have been in the game for a while.

We think the ideal candidate is someone who can combine the old school type of managing, with a feel for the game, with analytics. We thought it was insane for John Schneider to remove Jose Berrios from his start against Minnesota in the wild card series because it was scripted, and the numbers said to do it.

If a starting pitcher is doing his job, let him keep doing it until the hitters tell them he is losing effectiveness. We understand sometimes it’s too late to take action, but remember, some people treat analytics as a way to explain why they made a decision that didn’t work.

We don’t want a manager who goes strictly by the numbers, but we don’t want someone who will ignore them either. At this point in baseball though, we doubt you could find a manager described by that second statement.

At the end of the day, what you want is someone who has the trust of the players and has everyone pulling in the same direction. And with the Guardians still being a very young team, the new guy in charge will also need to guide them.

Terry Francona liked to have a veteran around to help with that, be it Jason Giambi, Jose Uribe, or Mike Napoli. And we agree having an experienced player around is important.

The truth is, we really won’t know anything about the new manager (if he has no big-league experience, that is) until the games start for real next spring. And even then, you have to allow a new major league skipper to grow into the job.

Good Road Trip Changes Mind Of Guards’ Front Office?

Perhaps the Guardians going on the road versus two teams with playoff aspirations and winning both series had an impact on the minds of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff.

We have not been shy in saying the front office of the Guards has not been totally in on making a playoff push since the trade deadline after moving Amed Rosario, Aaron Civale, and Josh Bell. The players weren’t happy which caused Antonetti and Chernoff to fly to Houston to meet with players about the moves.

Players think about the season they are playing. They don’t care about the 2024 edition of the Guardians because they may not be in Cleveland next season.

And we repeat, our problem was not in trading the people they did, it was not getting anything that could help the team this season, seeing as though they were a half game out at that time.

We have always been under the opinion that if a team is five games or less out of a post-season spot on September 1st, they are legitimately in the race. And today, Cleveland sits five games behind the Twins.

So, the Guardians’ management saw an opportunity on the waiver wire and took advantage. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim decided to dump salary with a month to go in the regular season and Cleveland took advantage, claiming three pitchers: Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Matt Moore.

Giolito is the most familiar name, having had three very good seasons with the White Sox (2019-21), going 29-21 in those campaigns with ERAs under 3.53. This season, he is 7-11 with a 4.45 ERA combined with Chicago and the Angels, giving up just 139 hits in 153.2 innings, striking out 165.

He has been plagued by the long ball with the Angels, giving up 10 in 32 frames. He gave up three each in losses to Atlanta and Philadelphia. He can soak up innings and is an upgrade over Noah Syndergaard, who was designated for assignment after pitching on Sunday.

With Cal Quantrill coming back tonight, hopefully he and Giolito can ease the burden on the Guards’ young starters for the rest of the season.

Lopez, a right-hander like Giolito, figures to help the bullpen. He is 2-7 with 6 saves and a 3.93 ERA in total, and had a 2.77 ERA with the Angels. He has whiffed 71 hitters in 55 innings, but did walk 30. He has also allowed 8 home runs.

Moore is a southpaw and has been around the block at 34-years-old. He’s also been very effective this season, compiling a 2.66 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 44 innings. His last four appearances haven’t been good, he’s allowed six runs in four frames. But he was great before that.

He provides another solid lefty along with Sam Hentges, who has pitched much better of late.

It did cost the Guardians some money, but they also saved money in the deals they made at the end of July, so it’s likely a wash.

If Giolito regains something close to his old form with the Pale Hose and with the additional bullpen help, perhaps the Guards can put together the run they have been searching for all year. Their longest winning and coincidentally longest losing streak are both four games.

It’s too bad these moves couldn’t have been made sooner and let us also stop you from thinking this was some sort of grand plan. There is no way the front office could have seen the bizarre collapse by the Angels.

With Tampa in for the weekend followed by the Twins, this stretch of six games will determine whether or not this will be a fun September.

And a hot streak from Jose Ramirez and the return of Josh Naylor could be large helps too.

Important Series In Minnesota? Don’t Think The FO Thinks So

The Cleveland Guardians should be entering a crucial stretch as five of their next eight games are against the Minnesota Twins, who currrently lead the AL Central Division by six games over Cleveland.

We say should because we aren’t sure the management of the team are interested, or should we say fully invested in catching the Twins.

We are sure the players are trying to win every night, but it seems like Terry Francona, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are ambivalent.

In Sunday’s game, the Guards had a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning and Noah Syndergaard had thrown over 80 pitches. He allowed a runner to reach, but no one was warming in the bullpen meaning the starter was out there to complete the inning.

He gave up a two-run homer to allow Toronto to capture the league and was removed after six frames. He was also designated for assignment after the contest.

With Cal Quantrill likely to be activated on Friday, he will take Syndergaard’s place in the rotation, but to replace him, the Guardians called up retread Daniel Norris to take his place.

Norris replaced Xzhavion Curry last night and promptly gave up four runs turning a 6-5 contest into a 10-6 Twins’ lead.

Last year, the organization was very aggressive bringing up young players like Will Brennan, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, and Cody Morris, even if they weren’t on the 40-man roster to help down the stretch.

Why not bring up Franco Aleman, who has made 13 scoreless appearances at Akron, striking out 29 and walking just 3 in 19.1 innings at AA. To be fair, he didn’t have great numbers at Lake County (5.52 ERA) but did whiff 46 batters in 31 innings.

Norris is a 30-year-old journeyman who made six appearances at the big league level this year and walked 11 batters in 10.2 innings coming into last night. Heck, if they didn’t want to go with Aleman, Hunter Gaddis, who opened the season in the starting rotation would have been a better choice.

Francona could’ve turned to Eli Morgan in the 3rd and maybe went with Morris later, but no, it was Norris, just like a game in June against a team not ahead of them in the standings.

We understand the Blue Jays threw two southpaws at the Guardians over the weekend, but instead of playing Bo Naylor, the best catcher on the roster, in one of the games vs. a lefty, both Cam Gallagher and Eric Haase, who at best are replacement level major leaguers both got starts.

We have seen fans angry that Naylor only played in one game in essentially his hometown. That shouldn’t be the argument. He’s clearly the best hitter of the three, and isn’t a terrible defensive catcher. He should be in there most nights.

This shouldn’t be news. The organization told the fan base they weren’t interested in contending on August 1st. And it wasn’t trading Amed Rosario, Josh Bell, and Aaron Civale that was the main crime, it was not trading for someone to help a bad offense and a struggling bullpen.

A sweep could have cut the Minnesota lead to three games, heck, they could still walk out of the Twin Cities down five. But we don’t think that was a major consideration.

Fans can’t want something more that the organization does.