The Cleveland Guardians may not be the powerhouse in Major League Baseball. Not many people will talk about them as perennial World Series contenders.
Nevertheless, they’ve been one of the most consistent teams over the past three decades. That was made evident in a post by Codify on X.
Since 1998, which was the year when MLB expanded to 30 teams, the Guardians have made the playoffs 12 times. Only the New York Yankees (23), Atlanta Braves (18), Los Angeles Dodgers (17), St. Louis Cardinals (16), Houston Astros (14) and Boston Red Sox (14) have been to the postseason more than Cleveland during that span.
PLAYOFF APPEARANCES SINCE 1998
(when MLB expanded to 30 teams):23 NYY
22
21
20
19
18 ATL
17 LAD
16 STL
15
14 HOU BOS
13
12 CLE
11 ATH
10 CHC MIN
9 MIL TB PHI
8 TEX SF
7 SD ARI NYM DET LAA
6 TOR
5 WSH BAL CWS CIN
4 COL SEA
3 KC MIA PIT— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) December 3, 2025
Notably, they’ve all spent much more money than the Guardians.
That’s to say that Cleveland’s approach to building its roster works. The Guardians don’t even try to compete with the biggest spenders in the game, and while that’s not exciting, it’s effective as far as making the playoffs is concerned.
The Guardians have taken pride in building their team from the ground up. They scout, coach and develop. They don’t just buy players, which seems to be a lost art in modern sports.
However, some fans might prefer they take a different approach, as they haven’t won the championship in almost 80 years. After watching teams like the Dodgers spend big bucks and walk away with a title, perhaps being financially responsible isn’t the best approach. Money can buy a lot of things, and at times it can net a World Series ring.
NEXT: Guardians Could Make Big Decision With Young Slugger
