I am not angry, I am not even disappointed, I just want change.
The Guardians got absolutely demolished by the Rangers 10-0 tonight after losing a heartbreaker 4-3 the night before.
I think it’s probably fair that questions be asked about Stephen Vogt, Craig Albernaz and company as this team teeters on the brink of revisiting their 9-16 June/10-game losing streak to end June and enter July. But, I am willing to give everyone on the coaching staff a grace period for having to deal with everything they have been dealing with for the past year.
The group who needs to experience some pressure is the Cleveland front office, Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff and company. I HOPE that a change in philosophy for drafting hitters will produce some different results to help fix a franchise that is 22nd in wRC+, 21st in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging since Opening Day 2019. But, this offense is absolutely pathetic. They have a future Hall of Famer on this team still playing at his peak in his early 30’s who I regularly see chasing pitches he knows are balls because he is so darn desperate to be a hero for this team. But, meanwhile, they continue to trot Steven Kwan out there as a shell of himself with his wrist hanging on by a thread, Nolan Jones hitting like Myles Straw-lite, Kyle Manzardo clinging to any shred of a consistent approach, Bo Naylor making constant adjustments to get back to who he was when he was promoted and a bunch of other terrible hitters.
That’s, frankly, inexcusable. And, if Paul Dolan had a shred of a backbone, he would place an ultimatum on this franchise’s leadership that progress MUST be shown in 2026 on this offense or some high-level executives are going to accompany coaches out the door.
I think there’s hope on that front. Even if Chase DeLauter and Juan Brito’s health doesn’t return, there is Travis Bazzana, Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez and Cooper Ingle displaying flashes of brilliance with the bat, and then a whole host of 2025 MLB draftees looking very promising right now to accompany international free agent revelations Junekir Caceres and Dauri Fernandez. I still feel optimistic about the pitching factory despite an incredibly frustrating season from Tanner Bibee.
But, the front office has a chance to do something right now to show they have the right focus for 2026… it is time to give reps to players they want to know if they can help the franchise in 2026 NOW. Use whatever diplomatic aplomb you have to explain to Carlos Santana that retirement has arrived earlier than any of us wanted to, to explain to Nolan Jones that his balky back needs some rest, and, yes, to Steven Kwan that there is no longer any need to be a hero with that wrist. At least ONE of those three things needs to happen by Monday to get George Valera a good, hard look before the end of the season.
Then, find a way to take a last look at Jhonkensy Noel, and to make sure that the addition of Petey Halpin to the 40-man in the offseason was a mistake by adding him to the roster. And, finally, when September rolls around, it’s time to make Cooper Ingle the 14th position player to give him his first taste of the big leagues as a catcher under the watchful eye of Austin Hedges, vibes-master extraordinaire who certainly cannot hang on to a roster spot next season simply because he is known as someone who can keep a team steady amidst chaos. He’s not that, apparently, whatever else he might be.
Give Guardians fans something to look forward to. Right now, aside from Jose, all I want to see is how guys like Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo, Cade Smith, Nic Enright, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio, Bo Naylor, Kyle Manzardo, CJ Kayfus, Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann finish this season and what it can help us know about whether or not we should see them as potentially helpful pieces for 2026 or not. That’s it.
What a disastrous week this has been for the Guardians on every level. Time for the front office to stop piddling around and do something bold and helpful for once in their goshdarn lives.
Oh, also, get on the phone with Dolan and tell him to reverse course and bring back GuardsFest for 2026. We all know he made it in 2027 because there is going to be a lockout to cancel it and he’s hoping people will give up on it. Reward these fans with something nice for once. We deserve it.