The Cleveland Guardians are, by all means, one of the best teams in MLB at developing pitchers.
The results speak for themselves.
Over the years, they have produced (either by drafting or signing them themselves or by acquiring them via trade before they were successful) names such as Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Aaron Civale, Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen, and more.
Developing hitters or acquiring the right ones has become a problem as of late, though.
The Guardians have adopted a small-ball approach that leads to precious few homers and low scoring outputs.
One would think that a better effort at signing hitters in free agency or absorbing high-priced, effective batters via trade would take the Guards to the next level, but owner Paul Dolan just refuses to increase the payroll.
Guards insider Zack Meisel wrote a column explaining this, and wondering what the team will do to bring in offensively capable outfielders if the payroll won’t be increased.
A fan asked Meisel if he thought Dolan wasn’t too keen on talking to the press in order to avoid criticism.
Meisel’s answer was short, but sweet:
correct
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) December 5, 2023
So there you have it: the Guardians’ part-owner, chairman, and CEO, who should be more of a public figure given that he is the control person of the organization, avoids the media.
He doesn’t want people asking him about the payroll and why he doesn’t invest more.
The Guardians have been one or two hitters away from being true competitors in the last couple of seasons.
Power, in MLB, costs money.
No wonder why the Guardians were last in home runs in 2023.
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