Cleveland Sports Forum

Guardians’ Chris Antonetti on AL Central race, shortstops, rookie starters and the next Jose Ramirez
Updated: Aug. 21, 2023, 1:48 p.m.


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, met with reporters on Sunday morning to discuss the state the Guardians.

At the moment, they’re struggling to stay in the AL Central race, searching for a full-time shortstop and trying to protect a rookie-dominated starting rotation Here’s what he had to say on those subjects and a lot of other things.

Q. Does this feel like a heated AL Central race?


A. “There are days it feels like that. Then there are days where we recognize we have a long way to continue to build to where we want to be as a championship team.


“Admittedly, we certainly haven’t done our part yet to put ourselves in a position to make it feel that way. But I’m not sure the Twins have either.”

Q. Regarding the race, how do you balance developing young players, while adding veterans Kole Calhoun and Ramon Laureano?

A. “I would argue that both of those guys, Kole in particular, are part of both those things. One of the reasons we brought Kole in when we did, in the addition of needing another bat when Josh Naylor went down with an injury, was for his reputation as a teammate and a leader.

“We thought there was an opportunity to bring in someone like that who could help with the development of some of the young players while also helping us win games. I don’t look at those (acquisitions) as either or. In an ideal world we’re doing both.

“That was one of the things we did so well last year. While we were transitioning and developing young players, we were winning games. This year. obviously, we haven’t won as frequently as we would have liked.”

Q. Will you limit the innings of rookie starters Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Gavin Williams and Xzavion Curry?


A. “So far, they continue to recover well between starts. As we’ve had opportunities to give them an extra day’s rest, we’ve done that. We’ve modified their workload between starts.

“At this point they’re continuing to do really well. There is no hard and fast innings limit, but we’ll continue to be mindful of their overall workload as we progress toward the end of the season.”


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Q. Your thoughts on having four rookies in the rotation who have compiled the lowest ERA in the big leagues since the All-Star break?


A. “It’s certainly not how we would have scripted it. As much of a challenge as a lot of things have been this year, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are without the contribution of those young starters. As we start to look forward, that’s a really exciting thing for us as we plan our future teams and how those guys can impact us.

“Transitioning from the minors to the big leagues is really hard. To do it as a starting pitcher is also really hard. To have three or four of those guys transition, and not just get their feet wet, but to contribute on a competitive team, and to do it so consistently has been really fun to watch. It’s not an accident. Those guys have worked really hard to succeed.”

Q. What have you thought of rookie Brayan Rocchio defensively?


A. “He’s most comfortable, obviously, at shortstop. We’ve seen him make some really good plays there. At third base, he’s made some good plays, but he’d be the first to tell you that’s not where he’s had the most experience, nor where he’s the most comfortable.

“But he has the ingredients and skills to be a successful defender at any of the three infield positions. Like any young player, he’s learning about the pace of the major league game, and how quickly things go, and how important it is to not only make the above-average play, but the average play consistently.”




Q. Has a shortstop emerged who will be your starter for 2024?

A. “We have six more weeks where guys can continue to get at-bats, and hopefully continue to learn and grow. Then we’ll get to the offseason and figure out what that looks like.

“I don’t think we have to make any definitive declarations or statements in the offseason. As things stand all those guys are in the organization and will continue to be here. We’ll have other opportunities for them to play and continue to show what they can do.”

Q. How difficult is it not to stress over a young player’s current stats to the extent that you forget what he could become?

A. “For my own sanity, it’s a helpful reminder. I looked at Josie’s (Jose Ramirez) first 620 plate appearances in the big leagues. I think he hit .237 with a .638 OPS. I know we all have a tendency to think development will be linear (in a straight line), or once guys get here it’s going to transition into success right away.


“But you have to have patience because development and performance at the major league level is really hard. I’m not sure if that was for my own peace of mind, but it was a helpful perspective to realize that we’ve got a really young roster with a lot of players who are going through some things for the first time.

“I think we’d all sign up for this if they emerge from it like Jose did. I’m not forecasting that will happen, but that would be a great outcome for us.”

Q. Since Josh Bell was traded to Miami, have you seen anything different in his swing?

A. “We talked about it while Josh was here. He goes through stretches where he’s really, really productive and he’s had other stretches where he’s less productive. In his best years he has more of those stretches where he’s productive than he is less productive.


“But there’s nothing really different with his swing or his approach.”

(Bell is hitting .288 (13 for 66) with six homers, 11 RBI and a .962 OPS in 17 games since Cleveland traded him to Miami. He hit .233 (81 for 347) with 11 homer and 48 RBI in 97 games with the Guards).


Q. What have you thought of Oscar Gonzalez since he returned to the big leagues in late July?

A. “It continues to be a battle for him. He’s working hard to regain some consistency as an offensive player. In fact, consistency in all aspects of his game.

“He’s a good example of a young player that had that initial success. Now he having to make some adjustments back because he’s struggled. This will be an important six weeks and what he does with the remaining opportunities he has. It’s going to be a really important offseason for him as he prepares for next year.

“He has skills that are really helpful for us when we construct lineups. His ability to impact the ball when he’s at his best is something we really welcome.”

Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
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He's coming home: The Guardians claimed catcher Eric Haase from the Tigers. They designated Zach Collins for assignment. Haase (who's actually a Michigan native) was a 2011 Cleveland draft pick.

Guardians Claim Eric Haase, Designate Zack Collins
By Steve Adams | August 21, 2023 at 1:29pm CDT

The Tigers announced Monday that catcher Eric Haase, whom they designated for assignment over the weekend, has been claimed off waivers by the Guardians. Cleveland designated fellow catcher Zack Collins for assignment in a corresponding move.

Haase, 30, goes from his hometown team back to the team that originally drafted him and gave him his Major League debut back in 2018. Cleveland selected Haase in the seventh round of the 2011 draft but traded him to Detroit for cash in Jan. 2020. He appeared in just seven games during the shortened 2020 season but broke out in 2021 and has seen semi-regular playing time over the past three seasons.

In 2021-22, Haase turned in a .242/.295/.451 batting line, swatting 36 home runs, 29 doubles and a pair of triples in 732 plate appearances. That offense clocked in about six percent better than league average, by measure of wRC+, and Haase showed some defensive versatility along the way. In addition to his work behind the plate, the Tigers frequently used him in left field (in addition to a pair of one-off appearances in right field and at first base).

The 2023 season has been a rough one for Haase, however. In 286 trips to the plate, he’s slashing .201/.246/.284. Haase has seen his ground-ball rate increase, while his exit velocity and hard-hit rate have both trended in the wrong direction. He’s also popping the ball up to the infield at a career-high rate.

Guardians catchers rank dead-last in offense this season, batting a combined .184/.258/.312. Even a small step toward Haase’s 2021-22 production would clear that remarkably low bar. For now, Haase will split time behind the plate with top prospect Bo Naylor. If he shows well down the stretch, Haase can be retained for another three years via arbitration, so there’s potential for him to stick around for awhile in his original organization. He’s out of minor league options, however, meaning he can’t be sent down without first clearing waivers.

Collins, 28, was the No. 10 overall draft pick by the White Sox out of Miami back in 2016 but has yet to establish himself at the MLB level. He’s spent parts of five seasons in the Majors and tallied 465 plate appearances during that time. His .188/.300/.329 slash is illustrative of his struggles to make contact, though. Collins has a huge 13.1% walk rate in his career, but he’s also fanned in 33.5% of his plate appearances. He’s a .252/.371/.468 hitter in 1040 Triple-A plate appearances.

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, the only action the Guardians can take with Collins is to attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him. He’ll be placed on either outright waivers or release waivers within the next few days.

Cleveland is quietly getting ready for next year !

The worst division in MLB history? Welcome to a weekend in the AL Central The Athletic MLB Staff
Aug 21, 2023

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By Zack Meisel, Cody Stavenhagen and Aaron Gleeman

CLEVELAND — They stood in a triangle, each defender gazing up at the night sky.

Will Brennan raised his hands to indicate he couldn’t locate the baseball, which he later termed “a hopeless feeling.” Andrés Giménez, back turned toward the plate, seemed convinced an outfielder had a better chance. Oscar Gonzalez rushed in from his post in right field to camp under the ball.

Instead, it plummeted to the ground, 10 feet behind Gonzalez.

Andy Ibañez, he of a lifetime .293 on-base percentage, the guy who dismissively spun his bat into the dirt after what he thought was another fruitless swing, scurried to second with an RBI double.

Welcome to another weekend in the AL Central, the home of the youngest, the least experienced and the sorriest this league has to offer, where on-field ineptitude may be sinking to historic depths. The 2023 quintet is on pace to produce the worst combined record of MLB’s divisional era, which began in 1969.

The Guardians’ outfield gaffe gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the second game of a doubleheader Friday, but Cleveland stormed back in the eighth inning against a couple of Tigers relief nomads. After a long day of baseball, the teams split the twin bill.

“We were miserable for six hours,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “And we got to be happy for, like, 10 minutes.”
Guardians outfielder Will Brennan loses track of the ball Friday. (David Richard / USA TODAY)

The Guardians’ ersatz pursuit of the Twins for first place in the AL Central maintained its faint heartbeat, the 1-3 weekend leaving the Guardians six games out of the division lead. It wouldn’t be right to call it a heated competition — more like a room temperature division race.

“There are days it feels (heated),” said Guardians president Chris Antonetti. “And there are days where I think we recognize we have a long way to continue to build to where we want to be as a championship team. We certainly haven’t done our part yet to put ourselves in a position to make it feel that way, but I’m not sure the Twins have, either.”

Before this year, the 2018 season held the record for the worst division in history, when — you guessed it — the AL Central mustered a combined winning percentage of only .436. This year’s AL Central has a combined winning percentage of .433. Four of the division’s five teams have losing records, and they have combined for a run differential of minus-334. Only the fourth-place White Sox ranked higher than 15th in Opening Day payroll.

In Chicago, that team has suffered a cultural implosion, its season defined by its struggling shortstop absorbing a right hook to the face amid a brouhaha in Cleveland.

In last place, the 40-86 Royals have baseball’s second-worst record, ahead of only the dismal Oakland Athletics. Even as shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. plays like a budding star, the Royals have not had a .500 record since 2016 and have found few signs of hope. MLB Pipeline recently ranked the Royals’ farm system 29th out of 30 organizations, and the Royals do not have a single Top 100 prospect.

And as for the division leader?

The 65-60 Twins hold a six-game edge on the Guardians. Minnesota’s lineup has struggled, ranking eighth in OPS and ninth in runs per game among AL teams. But when compared to their four division rivals — the league’s lowest-scoring non-Oakland lineups — the Twins resemble a powerhouse, even though they might break MLB’s all-time strikeout record.
Edouard Julien and the rest of the Minnesota Twins have struck out at a near-historic pace this season. (David Reginek / USA Today)

Yet even when they falter, it hardly matters. Seven of the Twins’ last 10 losses have come on days when the Guardians have also lost, thus increasing Minnesota’s chances of winning the division by simply erasing another game from the respective schedules.

In terms of vibes, it’s like a basketball team going into the four corners offense before the invention of the shot clock. Or perhaps a prisoner crossing the days off a makeshift calendar carved into their cell wall. If every time you fall down, the person behind you also falls down, it’s hard to be worried about losing a race.

That could play at least a small part in explaining why neither the Twins nor the Guardians seemed motivated to act like legitimate contenders at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The Guardians, despite being within one game of the division lead — and yet still below .500 — traded away Aaron Civale, Josh Bell and Amed Rosario, which sparked unrest in the clubhouse. That convinced Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff to fly to Houston the morning after the deadline to smooth things over with frustrated players.

Minnesota failing to make any trades at the deadline took people in the game by surprise given the season-long need for bullpen help and a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder. Those are two seemingly easy boxes to check inexpensively, yet the Twins stood pat — and watched their odds of winning the division actually increase.

Why? Because the other four teams were sellers.

“Certainly, we’re very much aware of what every other club is doing,” said Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. “But it doesn’t change our process, necessarily. Had (Cleveland) gone in a different direction and acquired two or three different players, would that have changed our process? I can’t say it would. I would say our view was, how do we best put this team in position to succeed this year and beyond?”

In other words, winning the AL Central in 2023 is important, but it can probably be accomplished without trading away any prospects who might help them win the division in 2024 or 2025.

The Guardians boast the league’s best starting pitcher ERA since the All-Star break, a feat made more impressive considering their rotation is Noah Syndergaard and four rookies. And this isn’t your older sibling’s Noah Syndergaard. It’s a lost soul with long, blonde hair masquerading as a former ace.

The Guardians flipped Amed Rosario to the Dodgers for Syndergaard less than a week before the deadline, knowing they needed another healthy body in the rotation. But from Syndergaard’s first day with the club, he’s been searching for answers and sounding like the least confident member of the pitching staff.

After a lousy outing last Wednesday in Cincinnati, the lone veteran in Cleveland’s rotation delivered a jarringly candid assessment of his struggles:
“Same s—, different day. It feels like I’m pitching on ice skates. Every time I try to use my legs, they slip out from underneath me. … It’s hard to enjoy anything else in my life when my one true love of baseball — I’m not having a whole lot of fun right now.”
Noah Syndergaard’s 5.06 ERA is actually an improvement over his 7.16 mark with the Dodgers. (Mark Taylor / Getty Images)

Cleveland approached the season with a rotation of Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, Civale and Zach Plesac. None of the five has pitched for the club this month. McKenzie has made two starts all season. Quantrill has battled shoulder and ERA swelling. Bieber has missed the last six weeks with a balky elbow. Plesac has spent most of the season at Triple A.

And yet, it’s the team’s offense and bullpen that have hindered its bid for a second straight division title. Young hitters haven’t taken steps forward. No reliever has been immune to an occasional untimely meltdown. The slash-and-dash style that spurred the club to 92 wins last year has vanished. Their 89 home runs are 24 fewer than any other team has hit.

A couple weeks ago, Ramon Laureano was designated for assignment by baseball’s poster child for incompetence, the A’s. Kole Calhoun was twiddling his thumbs at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Now, they bat in the middle of Francona’s lineup most nights.

“That may not be the ideal place for them,” Francona said, “but that’s kind of where we are.”

Neither Bell nor catcher Mike Zunino, the club’s two free-agent additions over the winter, survived the season with the franchise. Zunino was booted from the roster in mid-June. Bell was traded about two hours before first pitch on Aug. 1 — and right as the deadline buzzer sounded — as he was in the middle of a card game with teammates in the visitors clubhouse in Houston.

Later that night, the Guardians were no-hit by Framber Valdez.

On June 23, the Tigers were 32-41 but only 4 1/2 games behind the Twins for first place.

The Tigers share MLB’s longest postseason drought with the Angels, so the narrative around manager A.J. Hinch’s mostly young team was more positive than one might imagine. Local reporters had been asking for days about the standings. And eventually, Hinch had heard enough. The manager who went to two World Series with the Houston Astros provided a dose of reality.

“I’m just not going to let our team talk (about contending or the standings),” Hinch said. “I haven’t heard those words. … I don’t want to hear it, because I think we have so much more to do to get better before we can truthfully talk like that. We haven’t earned the right to talk that way. We just haven’t.”

The straight answer turned into something of a rant.

“You want to get somewhere where you matter and you want to get on national broadcasts? You want to get into the conversation where people don’t look at us like, pat us on the head, we’re a nice team that’s trying hard?” Hinch said. “Play better. Play better for a long time, beat some teams, and then you’ll start to earn that designation. Until then, it’s all a distraction.”

For what it’s worth, the series opener this weekend between Detroit and Cleveland was slated to be aired on FOX before it was rained out, though that might have more to do with the Hollywood writer’s strike than with the national allure of a midweek matchup between a couple of teams jostling for second place in baseball’s weakest division.

The Tigers are now 7 1/2 games out of first place (actually closer to the Guardians than the Guardians are to the Twins). That the Tigers are lurking just behind Cleveland for second place is a testament to the nature of the division’s top and bottom rungs.

Once viewed as the future powers of the division, the White Sox had slumped to a miserable 49-75 record and traded key players such as starter Lucas Giolito at the trade deadline. First-year manager Pedro Grifol has struggled to tame clubhouse issues that dated to the team’s ill-fated two seasons with Tony La Russa as manager. After relief pitcher Kenyan Middleton was traded to the Yankees, he did an interview with ESPN in which he ripped the White Sox culture.
Perhaps the signature moment of the 2023 White Sox was Jose Ramirez’s punch that knocked down Tim Anderson. (Sue Ogrocki / AP Photo)

In Kansas City, a season of atrocious play has highlighted how far the organization has to go in the first year with J.J. Picollo as the president of baseball operations and Matt Quatraro as manager.

These are teams stuck in place, treading water far from shore, neither clearly trending up nor obviously tanking in the style of the Astros. In a division of failed rebuilds and sustained mediocrity, this year’s heightened struggles could be attributed to MLB’s move to a balanced schedule before the season. Teams now face each of the 29 other teams at least once during the year. As a result, teams now play only 52 games against division opponents. In previous years, they played 76.

The Tigers just so happen to have a 25-15 record against division opponents this season, on track for the team’s first winning record against AL Central rivals since 2016. “The way we’re playing the Central, I wish we played more in the Central,” Hinch said Sunday in Cleveland. “Is that where you’re going with this?”

Later Sunday afternoon, Eduardo Rodriguez — the pitcher who cited personal reasons and nixed a trade to the contending Dodgers at the deadline — went 6 2/3 innings in a 4-1 victory, leading Detroit back into the fringe of the division hunt.

“I don’t feel we’re out yet,” Rodriguez had told reporters before his previous start. “We have a chance to make the postseason. That’s why I decided to stay here, too. Right now I just want to keep pitching and keep helping my team. I hope we can make it.”

Detroit, though, is 32-52 against the rest of the league, including a disheartening 5-20 against baseball’s strongest division, the AL East.

“The reality is you have to play well against the whole league now to win your division,” Hinch said. “Whether it’s an anomaly or whether there’s something to it, this year shows us it’s great we’ve played well in the division, but the AL East has not been kind to us, other divisions have not been kind to us.”
Sunday, veteran Dallas Keuchel delivered one unexpected moment of magic, overcoming those AL Central vibes. (Jeffrey Becker / USA TODAY)

Sunday in Minnesota, the Twins handed the ball to another pitcher on his last legs.

Dallas Keuchel — a former Cy Young winner whose fastball now averages 87 mph, a bearded left-hander who had not struck out any of the 36 batters he had faced as a member of the Twins — started against the Pirates.

The 35-year-old Keuchel, however, spun what might be one of his last gems in the major leagues. He was perfect through 6 1/3 innings in a 2-0 victory, allowing the Twins to retain a six-game hold on the division. At 65-60, the Twins could challenge the 2005 Padres (82-80) for fewest wins from a division champion. With the Tigers and the Guardians playing one another this weekend, the division overall managed an 8-9 record, that .470 winning percentage representing something of a banner stretch.

The AL Central lives at the intersection of absurd and hapless, as evidenced by Keuchel’s improbable outing and another play that unfolded on the shores of Lake Erie on Sunday.

In the top of the second, Detroit’s Matt Vierling tapped a ball down the third-base line. Cleveland’s Logan Allen and Tyler Freeman converged on the ball, let it trickle down the line, praying it would roll foul.

The ball came to a complete stop on the chalk … a base hit, and yet another reminder of the state of the game, the series, and the season in the AL Central: slow-moving, non-developing, anticlimactic, a bunch of stoppable forces meeting some movable objects.

Tom Withers
@twithersAP
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Guardians manager Terry Francona said he’s had serious discussions with the organization about his future. Not ready to make any announcements at this time.

Longtime MLB Manager Hints He's Contemplating Retirement
Story by Andrew McCarty •
1h



Future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona told reporters on Tuesday that he's considering retirement.

Francona, who has been battling a number of health issues over the past few years, suggested this might be his last season.

"I've tried to (evaluate my situation) probably the last couple months a lot. And I'm not always pleased with the answer I'm getting," he said, via Guardians reporter Jeff Schudel.

Francona admitted he's heeling "beat up," and could decide to walk away from the game after the 2023 season as a result.


The past few years haven't been kind to Francona's body. In 2020 he dealt with gastrointestinal issues and a blood-clotting issue that put him in the Intensive Care Unit. A year later, he stepped away from the Guardians to undergo a number of surgeries.

He was back and ready for spring training in 2022 and made it the full season. However, during the 2023 campaign he was hospitalized after feeling lightheaded during a game.

Francona has nothing left to prove in the baseball world, winning two World Series titles, taking the Guardians to a World Series and winning manager of the year three times.

News and Notes: Injured Guardians Making Progress

By Quincy Wheeler Aug 22, 2023, 10:31am EDT

The Guardians provided updates on their injured players, with Bieber and McKenzie long tossing and working their way toward throwing bullpens, Josh Naylor starting to swing, and David Fry at about 85% coming back from a hamstring strain. Cal Quantrill was throttled in his last rehab appearance, but his velocity was apparently good and he feels like he’s at the start of Spring Training. Seeing all of these familiar faces back would make for a happier ending to a disappointing season.

The Guardians also exchanged Zack Collins for old friend Eric Haase who had been recently designated for assignment by the Tigers. The Tigers opted to add Carson Kelly over keeping Haase, which surprised some of their fans, but makes sense in terms of player ceiling. The thirty year-old Haase has a career 84 wRC+ but has not been a particularly good defensive catcher. Oddly enough, in 2023, he has been above average in Defensive Runs Saved and Framing Runs but it’s been his worse year yet at the plate. I’d assume he’s just around until Fry and Gallagher return, but we will see.

The Guardians Arizona Complex League team got rained out, but I was following the box score and saw Kyle Manzardo was 2 for 3 with a double before the rain came. Hopefully, he finds his way to Columbus before long.

LATEST NEWS

Aug. 22: RHP Cal Quantrill to make rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday
Quantrill made his third rehab start on Sunday and gave up six runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He and the Guardians determined it'd be best to make one more rehab start before rejoining the big league rotation. He'll start for Columbus on Saturday and will likely throw approximately 95 pitches.

Aug. 21: C Eric Haase claimed from Tigers; C Zack Collins designated for assignment
Haase returns to the Guardians organization following four seasons with the Tigers from 2020-23. He was designated for assignment by Detroit on Aug. 19.

Signed to a Minors deal in the offseason, Collins was called up on Aug. 18 and appeared in two games for Cleveland, going for 2-for-4.

INJURY UPDATES

7-day IL

C Cam Gallagher (concussion)
Expected return: End of August
Gallagher took a foul tip off the bottom of his face mask on Aug. 16 in Cincinnati. He stayed in for the rest of the half-inning, but did not return to the field for the next frame. When he came into the ballpark the next day, he did not pass all of the concussion tests and was placed on the concussion IL out of precaution. (Last updated: Aug. 17)

10- and 15-day IL

RHP Cal Quantrill (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: End of August or Sept. 1
Quantrill allowed six runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in his third rehab start. He and the Guardians decided to make one more rehab appearance on Aug. 26 with Triple-A Columbus before returning to the big league rotation. He'll throw approximately 95 pitches. His return will likely line up with Sept. 1, when rosters expand to 28 players. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

1B Josh Naylor (right oblique strain)
Expected return: Early to mid-September
Naylor has been cleared to do all baseball activities except on-field batting practice. He's been swinging a bat in the cages. The Guardians are trying to strike the right balance of allowing Naylor to take on a bigger workload when he can handle it, while not rushing him back too quickly.

Naylor started feeling discomfort in his side on July 31, and he was scratched from the lineup prior to first pitch on Aug. 1 when the pain continued into his pregame batting cage sessions. He underwent an MRI on Aug. 3 that revealed the oblique strain. Naylor was given a timetable of three to six weeks, but manager Terry Francona said that window is "extremely tentative." He'll continue to be checked weekly. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

UTIL David Fry (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: Mid-August
Fry is nearing a rehab assignment after running the bases and doing all baseball activities at Progressive Field. On Aug. 4, Fry went into a full split playing first base while trying to stretch for a throw in the second inning against the White Sox and strained his left hamstring. Although it was clear he was in pain at the moment, he continued to reassure the coaching staff that he was fine and played the rest of the game. But after tests revealed a strain, the Guardians wanted to make sure he had time to recover, and they placed him on the IL on Aug. 8. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

RHP Michael Kelly (lower back strain)
Expected return: TBD
Kelly was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 18 after experiencing spasms in his lower back. Kelly felt them while the club was in Cincinnati earlier in the week, preventing him from being used in relief for the entire series. (Last updated: Aug. 18)

60-day IL

RHP Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Mid-September
Bieber has been stretched out to throwing at 120 feet, but has not progressed to the mound just yet. The Guardians began the second half of the season with difficult news. Bieber was sent for an MRI on his right forearm on July 14, and after an appointment with Dr. Keith Meister on July 16, it was decided that he wouldn't need surgery. (Last updated: Aug. 17)

RHP Triston McKenzie (right UCL sprain)
Expected return: Mid-September
McKenzie, who was scratched from his June 16 start vs. the D-backs with right elbow discomfort, is throwing at 105 feet, but has not gotten back on the mound.

The right-hander started the season on the IL with a right teres major strain. He made his 2023 debut on June 4, but he only made two starts before landing on the IL again with the UCL sprain. After getting different opinions on the next steps for his injury at the end of June and the beginning of July, McKenzie eventually decided to avoid surgery. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 6. (Last updated: Aug. 17)

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Guardians' GM Mike Chernoff (left) and president Chris Antonetti will be tasked with finding a new manager
if Terry Francona, indeed, retires as the end of the season


GUARDIANS

7 questions to answer before hiring Guardians’ next manager: The week in baseball

Updated: Aug. 26, 2023, 2:36 p.m.|Published: Aug. 26, 2023, 2:16 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes

TORONTO --

Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, the top two decision-makers on the baseball side of the Guardians, are in a position they’ve rarely been before. They have to find a new manager for the 2024 season unless Terry Francona suddenly has a change of heart.

Francona changing his mind about retirement seems unlikely, so Antonetti and Chernoff are on the clock.

The Guardians have had only two managers since Eric Wedge was fired at the end of the 2009 season. Manny Acta replaced Wedge in 2010 and Francona replaced Acta after the 2012 season. First base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. replaced Acta for the last few games of the 2012 season.

What qualities will Antonetti and Chernoff be looking for in a new manager? First and foremost they should remember this quote from Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson.

“You know what makes a good manager?” Anderson was fond of saying. “Good players.”

Or this from Francona himself when asked about the most important thing a manager can do. His answer was one word, “Win.”

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are seven questions facing the Guardians’ front office in their search for Francona’s replacement.

1. What kind of search will they conduct?

A.

Their last managerial search was a quickie. They interviewed Francona and Alomar. Francona, with two World Series titles to his resume in Boston, was the easy choice and that is no disrespect to Alomar.

The search that resulted in the hiring of Acta was a nationwide undertaking. Among the candidates were Bobby Valentine, Acta and current managers Scott Servais and Torey Luvollo, a minor league manager for Cleveland at the time. They asked the Dodgers for permission to talk to Don Mattingly, but didn’t receive it.

They initially started with a list of over 30 names. A lot of ground was covered.

Let’s assume they will cast a wide net in this search as well.

2. Who are some internal candidates?

A.

Alomar and bench coach DeMarlo Hale did good work filling in for Francona when he wasn’t unable to manage in 2020 and 2021, respectively, because of health concerns.

Third base coach Mike Sarbaugh has a long record of success managing in Cleveland’s minor league system. In the minors Andy Tracy (Columbus, manager), Greg DiCenzo (Columbus, bench coach) and Rouglas Odor (Class AA Akron, manager) could be possibilities.

If they do go with someone from inside the organization, the process shouldn’t take long. If the front office doesn’t know Alomar, Hale and Sarbaugh by now, they’ll never know them

3. Will they look outside the organization?

A.

They’d be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t.

Francona embraced anaylytics, but he was still an old-school style manager. Outside of Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy and Buck Showalter, there are not many of those guys left.

I think the Guardians will go outside the organization to search for a younger candidate who will meld anayltics and fundamental baseball. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to balance the two as well as Francona did.

Will Venable, the associate manager of the Texas Rangers, is an interesting name. He played with Chernoff on Princeton’s baseball team.

4. Will they look for a younger manager?

A.

I believe they will.

They’ve had the youngest team in the big leagues for the last two years, and that’s not going to change a whole lot in 2024. Why not bring in a manager more in line with his team’s profile?

Francona has done a great job communicating. The players always knew where they stood. But at 64, the the job is beating him up and there are parts of it that he can’t do as well as he wants.

A young manager would bring a different dynamic to the locker room.

5. What every managerial candidate should know about the Guardians?

A.

Cleveland isn’t New York, Boston or Los Angeles.

The new manager is going to have all the resources he needs for success. Heck, the Guardians travel with their own chef.

The only thing he won’t have is payroll. The Guardians have a reputation for developing pitchers and getting the biggest bang for their buck out of a bottom-tier payroll.

That may change if minority owner David Blitzer eventually purchases controlling interest from Paul Dolan. Right now, they will continue to try and accomplish a lot with a little.

They have a smart, agile front office and a good farm system. But the big league team is going to be young and in need of development.

The new manager and his coaching staff must be prepared to accomplish that.

One more thing, a new manager should not get overly attached to a player unless it’s Jose Ramirez or Andres Gimenez, who are signed to multiyear deals. The Guardians have a history of trading their star players when they bump up against free agency.

6. Who will control the lineup card?

A.

The lineup card has been Francona’s domain during his tenure in Cleveland. Yes, he’s open to suggestions from the anaylytics department, but he had the final say, as Saturday’s lineup card featuring 35-year-old Kole Calhoun in the leadoff spot indicated.

But on other teams, the front office not only suggests lineups, but makes them out for the manager. All that, I imagine, would be sorted out in the interview process.

7. How many coaches will the new manager be allowed to bring in?

A.

When a manager exits, sometime a good portion of his staff exits as well. When the Guardians hired Francona, he brought bench coach Brad Mills with him. Sarbaugh was promoted from the minor league system. Alomar was a holdover from Acta’s staff. Hale, Victor Rodriguez, Rigo Beltran, Carl Willis, Joe Torres, and Chris Valaika were hired at different intervals in Francona’s 11 years on the job.

A new manager, depending on his experience and how badly the team wants him, can usually bring one or two coaches with him. But the Guardians are hands on when it comes to assembling a coaching staff.

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Looking at the AL Rookie of the Year Favorites

By: Justin Merrlles | August 26, 2023

With less than six weeks left in the 2023 regular season, there have been a few notable candidates for the AL Rookie of the Year. This season has seen unlikely teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers rise. This could be, in part, because of rookies like Gunnar Henderson and Josh Jung on their roster. As this season has provided fans with such great candidates up for consideration, here are the top contenders.

Looking at the AL Rookie of the Year Favorites

Gunnar Henderson

Since the departure of Manny Machado, Baltimore has been looking for a solid player for the left side of the infield. At long last, Gunnar Henderson seems to be the answer. This season, the 22-year-old has split his time between third base and shortstop for Baltimore. Offensively, Henderson is hitting .248/.328/.477 with 21 home runs and 61 RBI. After being drafted by Baltimore in 2019, he rose to the top of the prospects list in 2022. Coming into this season, Henderson was the consensus top prospect in the majors, and this season Henderson remains the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. If he does, he will be Baltimore’s first rookie of the year since Gregg Olson won it in 1989.

Masataka Yoshida

The Boston Red Sox in 2023 have been underwhelming. However, one of the bright spots of this season has been outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida was a highly touted player from the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s NBP. The free agent was sought after by a handful of teams but eventually chose Boston last winter. This season, the left fielder has a .295 average in 113 games with Boston, leading the team in hits with 130.

Triston Casas

In addition to Masataka Yoshida is his Red Sox teammate Triston Casas. The Red Sox took Casas in the first round of the 2018 draft. The 22-year-old has spent most of the season at first base for Boston. In 113 games with Boston, he is hitting .251/.352/.471 with 20 home runs and 49 RBI. Casas was a late September call-up for the team in 2022 and has found himself as one of the best rookies in the majors. The first baseman has shown that he and the Red Sox have a bright future together.

Tanner Bibee

The Cleveland Guardians have been a team known for developing great pitchers. Tanner Bibee does not appear to be an exception to this rule. The 24-year-old right-hander has been great. In 20 starts with the Guardians, he is currently 9-3 with an ERA of 3.01. Additionally, that gives Bibee an ERA + of 137, a WHIP of 1.21, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.11. Heading into the 2023 season, Bibee was in Triple-A Columbus and was not even one of the top 50 prospects in baseball. After failing to make the team out of spring training, he has earned his spot in the rotation for years to come.

Josh Jung

The Texas Rangers have been a high-flying offense, and Josh Jung has been one of the notable contributors to that. In 109 games with the Rangers, Jung has hit .274/.323/.489 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI. Unlike Gunnar Henderson or any other rookie on this list, Jung received a selection for the All-Star Game in July. Additionally, Jung was the first Ranger in franchise history to start an All-Star Game as a rookie. Jung has been a staple at third base and has a good combination of power and speed. Although he may get overlooked by other stars on the team, players like Josh Jung have successfully developed within their farm system. Consequently, this allows the Rangers to contend in 2023 with their depth on the roster.

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Brayan Rocchio



News and Notes: Guardians Come Alive in Toronto


By Quincy Wheeler Aug 26, 2023, 7:42am EDT

The Guardians took the first of a three-game set in Toronto and hit three home runs (!!!) in the process, backing a strong Tanner Bibee start and a shutdown three innings from the Cleveland bullpen (!!!). Bo Naylor became the first Canadian to homer in his first major league at-bat in Canada.

Will Brennan has a ginger knee, but it doesn’t sound serious enough to light the George Valera signal. Cody Morris was called back up, and Tim Herrin was sent back down. Herrin can’t be brought back and optioned again without exposing him to waivers, and the Guardians still (rightly) sound like they believe in his potential.

Around the Minor Leagues:

The Clippers beat the Jumbo Shrimp 7-6, behind a home run barrage from rehabbing David Fry, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Bryan Lavastida. Fry added another hit, and Jose Tena went 2 for 5 with a double. It was nice to see Cade Smith with two K’s in a shutout inning, also. Still have hopes that he can be a useful relief arm. The Rubber Ducks won 5-4, featuring 2 hits including a double from Juan Brito and a shutout inning from hard-throwing reliever Franco Aleman, who added to two strikeouts. The Captains lost 3-2 but Ethan Hankins only allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, which is progress, and Jake Fox added another two hits and a walk. The Hillcats lost 4-3, but Jaison Chourio had a nice low-A debut in centerfield with a double and two walks. Wuilfredo Antunez had a double, and has had a solid season there. He doesn’t seem like a candidate to be protected from Rule 5, but hopefully he can stick around and progress further in 2024.

Around MLB:

The White Sox have persistent ownership problems. Alas. But, a true cause for concern and sympathy is a gun violence incident that took place in their stadium last night.

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Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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1h
#Guardians RHP Noah Syndergaard has been designated for assignment. Look for RHP Cal Quantrill to take his place in the rotation next time through. Quantrill had a solid start in his latest rehab appearance for Columbus Saturday.

Twins-Guardians roundtable: Trade deadline activity, division race, rotation surprises MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 20: Dallas Keuchel #60 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 20, 2023 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel and Dan Hayes


MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins will carry a six-game lead in the American League Central into this week’s battle with the second-place Guardians at Target Field. Our resident experts, Dan Hayes (Twins) and Zack Meisel (Guardians), linked up to discuss the state of affairs for each club as well as the division race in general.

Meisel: Dan, imagine it’s late March 2023. I peer into my crystal ball — got it for $7.99 at Pier 1 Imports — and tell you that at the end of August, Dallas Keuchel’s Twins and Kole Calhoun’s Guardians will converge at Target Field. What the hell would you have said?

Hayes: First and foremost, I would have asked you to submit a drug test and then suggested admitting you to a facility where the walls can’t hurt you. But then I would probably consider something simply went off the rails. While the far more surprising train wreck took place in Chicago, it still was surprising to see Cleveland downgrade at the deadline. After watching them operate since 2017, it’s not a shock to see the Twins act prudently by not adding on. Moreso, it’s a little disappointing to not see bullpen additions and the reliance on depth. Keuchel is the direct result of the Guardians’ decision-making. Still, it’s strange to see how it played out. Why do you think Cleveland opted to step back instead of push for a second straight division title? How surprised were you by their decision?

Meisel: They just never resembled the team that won 92 games last season. The offense stumbled through the spring and early part of the summer. A new reliever sprang a leak every other day. And then they lost Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie to elbow injuries. The best-case scenario for those guys now is to simply recover and enter a game or two before the end of the season so they can proceed to a normal winter regimen.

I think Cleveland’s front office approached this with a binary evaluation, independent of the state of the division: Is this team good or not? They made their stance clear, even if it ruffled some feathers in the clubhouse. I wasn’t surprised by the individual decisions at the deadline, but it’s pretty jarring what this roster looks like now, compared to a year ago. On Sunday, Terry Francona scribbled Calhoun, Ramón Laureano and Eric Haase in his starting lineup, and sent the since-DFA’d Noah Syndergaard to the mound. What a weird season.
Noah Syndergaard made six starts and posted a 5.40 ERA for the Guardians. (Dan Hamilton / USA Today)

I’m still a bit stumped by Minnesota’s inactivity, though. Regardless of Cleveland’s status, isn’t the motivation to win in October, not just win this sorry division? Explain it to me like I’m 5.

Hayes: Admittedly, I too have struggled to see it. On deadline day, I was flabbergasted they didn’t add any relievers, especially after we learned an hour before trades had to be completed that Brock Stewart had a setback.

But that was before I realized how little gas the Guardians had in the tank. It also was before Josh Naylor’s injury. I thought the Twins needed more to close out the division. It’s looking more and more like I was wrong.

Now that their October plan is materializing, I understand a little more why they were inactive. I still think they should have acquired Reynaldo López or another power arm for the playoffs. But the plan at least makes sense — perhaps the cupboard doesn’t feel as barren as it did before.

Much of their October revolves around converting starting pitchers and getting contributions from pitchers currently on the injured list. There’s been a lot of smoke that Louie Varland eventually becomes a reliever and I can see it. As a starter, his fastball averages 94.9 mph and he’s a candidate to sit 98 mph as a reliever. Paired with his slider, yeah, that could work. Kenta Maeda would likely only be used in relief in a short series and then perhaps as a swingman if they survive. And there’s hope Chris Paddack, who’s throwing 95, Stewart or Jorge Alcalá could all be healthy.

It still requires a lot to go right, but I guess I see why they didn’t want to overpay to add. This front office will need years of therapy before the Jorge López and Tyler Mahle night terrors dissipate.

Beyond the bullpen, I’m not sure where they could have reasonably upgraded. What do you think Cleveland’s chances are of winning this division? Were the Twins short-sighted to think they could do this without upgrading?

Meisel: Wait, there’s still a division race going on? I asked Chris Antonetti about that recently and he said some days, it feels like a heated race and others, it doesn’t feel like much of one. The Guardians are in an odd spot. They should be dedicating as many reps as possible for the likes of Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Oscar Gonzalez, Bo Naylor and Will Brennan, to either get some growing pains out of the way or to maybe learn that some of them shouldn’t be considered part of the future core. That approach doesn’t really jibe with a division race.

The one part of the equation where winning and development have aligned: the rotation, per usual. Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen have all performed better than anyone could have anticipated, especially given how much the club has had to lean on the three rookies this year. Bibee should be an AL Rookie of the Year finalist.

Now, those three figure to have their workloads a bit more limited in September, which surely won’t help Cleveland’s cause in the Central.

Bibee: 135 innings in 2023 (previous career high of 132 2/3 in 2022)

Williams: 124 1/3 innings in 2023 (previous career high of 115 in 2022)

Allen: 127 2/3 innings in 2023 (previous career high of 132 2/3 in 2022)

But to answer your question, these teams will battle six times in the next week and a half. For this to feel more legitimate, Cleveland needs to win at least four, and probably five, of the six.

Does that sound right to you? Does this feel like an actual competition? And how surprised are you at how the division as a whole has shaken out this season?

Hayes: As someone who’s covered baseball for 17 seasons, you learn early on never to count your chickens or whatever cliche you want to use. But it’s increasingly difficult to not think this race is over. Taking away Aaron Civale, Josh Bell and Amed Rosario seemed to make things difficult. Losing Josh Naylor’s crazy energy makes the possibility of Cleveland winning seem implausible.

One of the reasons everyone rightfully questioned the Twins heading into this season was injuries and whether they could survive them after the 2022 team plummeted as a result. This year’s club has dealt with plenty of injuries and lives on. Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner are flourishing.

It’s even crazier to think about how little of a race this is when you consider that Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, who are earning more than $50 million combined this season, have totaled 1.9 Wins Above Replacement. Whereas the 2022 Twins relied heavily on that pair, this year’s team is much deeper and the starting rotation is good enough for a playoff series.

That was the long way of saying, “No, this doesn’t feel like a race.” Cleveland stunned us all before last June and you can’t rule out the possibility. But them winning five of six meetings seems like a stretch, and that’s what they’d likely need with the Twins’ schedule over the final two weeks of the season, a stretch that features Colorado, Oakland, the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox.

I’m not asking you to make a silly bet where you have to jump into Lake Erie if they make the playoffs. But this is over, right?

Meisel: How about if the Twins let this thing slip away, you have to dive into one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes in January?

The schedule factored into the thinking for Cleveland’s front office, too. The Guardians’ August slate has been brutal — Astros, Rays, Dodgers, Reds, Blue Jays twice — and they’ll face the Rays, Giants, Rangers, Orioles and Reds in September.

But, hey, maybe they’ll get nutty and send off Francona in style, and we’ll be checking you for hypothermia as you towel off from your frosty plunge.

Hayes: To quote the infamous Hap Felsch, “I may be dumb, fellas, but I ain’t stupid.” I’d bet Murray’s Steakhouse on it. But no way I’m risking life and limb. After all, this is the AL Central.

Guardians designate RHP Noah Syndergaard for assignment: What it means for Cleveland’s rotation TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on August 27, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel and The Athletic Staff
Aug 27, 2023



The Cleveland Guardians designated right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard for assignment after Sunday’s 10-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the team announced. Here’s what you need to know:

Syndergaard allowed three home runs, five earned runs, three walks and struck out three batters through six innings pitched in the win.
The 30-year-old holds a 5.40 ERA through six games with the Guardians.
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded Syndergaard to Cleveland on July 26. He previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets.
The Guardians are second in the American League Central with a 62-69 record.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why cut ties with Syndergaard now?

Cal Quantrill submitted his best rehab start on Saturday — 7 1/3 innings, two runs, 89 pitches — and he’ll be ready to rejoin Cleveland’s rotation later this week.

In the meantime, and since Syndergaard started Sunday and wasn’t scheduled to start again until next weekend, the Guardians can benefit from an extra reliever or position player on the roster for a few days. It’s also worth noting rosters expand (by up to two players) Friday. — Meisel
What was the point of all of this?

The Guardians needed a starting pitcher with a pulse. It’s that simple. There weren’t many takers for Amed Rosario and they wanted to clear a path to more playing time for Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman, so they opted to flip Amed Rosario to the Dodgers for Syndergaard.

Syndergaard offered five or six innings every five days as the lone non-rookie in Cleveland’s rotation in August, with Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie sidelined with elbow injuries and Quantrill working his way back from shoulder inflammation. Syndergaard wasn’t awful; he was just … there.

And, for a few weeks, that’s what the Guardians needed: a placeholder. But he also never had a future in Cleveland, as he’ll be a free agent this winter as a 31-year-old (his birthday is Aug. 29) searching far and wide for the 24-year-old version of himself. — Meisel

Bob Nightengale
@BNightengale
RIP legendary Pat Corrales, 82, a fiery player, manager and baseball executive who leaves behind quite a fabulous legacy. It was a privilege to know and spend time with him.