The Guardians are one of the 12 teams that would “have to make a big addition to their payroll to meet the required floor,” according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The cap and floor for 2028 are “projections, not fixed figures,” and it “could take teams a few seasons to reach those projections.” The Guardians are coming off a season when they made MLB’s Final Three with the lowest payroll in baseball, an estimated $74.5M, per Spotrac. In order to reach the proposed floor of $180.2M, they would have to add over $105M to their payroll. Cleveland has not only “learned to survive but thrive as a small-market team thanks to good player development and a smart front office.” But unless owner Paul Dolan “has strayed from his conservative financial path entering his 28th year of ownership, minority owner David Blitzer could be playing a much bigger role in running the team in the near future.” Blitzer purchased a reported 35% of the team in June of 2022. It included an option to become the majority owner at the end of the 2027 season. Hoynes: “No matter what transpires in the next few years, the Dolan family is expected to keep a share in the Guardians” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/7).
