The Cleveland Guardians are one of the biggest outliers in this new era of Major League Baseball, where some payrolls soar near a half-billion dollars. The Guardians remain one of the thriftiest – others might say cheap – teams in the game, yet they continue to remain a perennial playoff contender.
This year, the distinction is even more stark, as the Guardians have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, yet, after a recent hot streak, they also hold one of the biggest first-place leads of any division. It’s a pattern of success that speaks volumes about their well-run organization and collection of homegrown talent.
Moving past the one-third mark of this season, the Guardians stand among MLB’s best despite a modest payroll, which puts them in a rare group.
“A look at the 10 best and worst teams by record reveals a very interesting fact: Their payrolls are almost identical. The 10 best teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.89 billion on players. The 10 worst teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.90 billion on players. Three of the 10 best teams — the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians — are carrying sub-$100 million payrolls,” Jeff Passan wrote.
According to USA Today, entering the opening week of this season, the Guardians had the lowest payroll for their 40-man roster, at almost $70 million, which was almost $10 million behind the next lowest team, the Miami Marlins. The Rays, who currently have the best record in the American League by 3.5 games over the big-spending New York Yankees, were ranked 26th at almost $90 million.
The Cardinals were 23rd at $98 million, and they are in second place, within striking distance of another frugal NL Central team, the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 19th at $125.4 million. In fact, the Brewers and Guardians are the only teams without a top 10 payroll that have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
By comparison, the Detroit Tigers raised their payroll by more than $60 million this season, which is almost the entire Guardians’ total. However, Detroit is in last place in the AL Central, 10 games behind Cleveland entering play Tuesday.
The Guardians are again putting their excellent player pipeline to good use. They are getting significant contributions from rookies Chase DeLauter, Parker Messick, and Travis Bazzana, and young veterans Gavin Williams, Cade Smith, and Angel Martinez.
All of them are under team control for at least a few years, and with many more prospects just waiting their turns, the Guardians should be able to remain very competitive without busting their budget.
NEXT: Guardians Made Another Pitching Move On Tuesday
