The Cleveland Guardians pulled off something that had never been done.
They overcame a 15.5-game deficit to win the AL Central.
Unfortunately, their postseason run was extremely short, as they regressed at the worst possible time in the AL Wild Card round against the Detroit Tigers.
However, analyst Gabrielle Goudy recently said the Guardians simply fell back to the proper level.
“I think that they might have overachieved at the end of the season. I think they’re a very sound group of pitchers, of course. Hitting could obviously make some improvements. I kind of see it how the Tigers went into the end of the season last year. Everyone thought they wouldn’t be here in this moment, but they took their opportunity, got their playoff push, did it. Maybe they might have overachieved a little bit, but they know their weaknesses and if they want to get past the point that we were this season, they know what to do to improve on it,” Goudy said.
Did the Guardians and Tigers flip flop seasons? #GuardsBall@gabbgoudy points out the scary similarities from Detroit's 2024 to Cleveland's 2025.
presented by Smart Choice Baths https://t.co/FvdEQxhkl2 pic.twitter.com/yiYPTlZGAI
— Carlos Baerga Show (@BaergaShow) October 9, 2025
While they played some tough series in September, including two against the Tigers, they also faced several opponents that were already eliminated from playoff contention.
Also, as good as the Cleveland pitching staff was down the stretch, the offense was always a concern.
More than that, the Tigers’ regular-season collapse was also responsible for the Guardians’ division title.
Granted, they also had to do their job, and they took care of business against the Tigers multiple times, but chances are that 99 out of 100 times, Detroit would’ve won the division.
Whatever the case, the fact remains that the Guardians have a strong foundation to build around, but it’s not going to be enough on its own.
They must add firepower to the offense to maximize their potential, and this offseason will be crucial for the organization.
NEXT: 3 Guardians Players Get Nominated For Top MLB Honor
