ESPN’s updated postseason projections following the trade deadline delivered a mixed but ultimately encouraging picture for the Guardians. Bradford Doolittle broke down where every club stands entering the stretch run, and after initially being lukewarm on Cleveland’s deadline haul in the immediate aftermath of the moves, he revealed that a deeper look at the numbers changed his outlook considerably.
Doolittle gave his playoff odds for the Guardians after the trade deadline.
“Win average: 81.9 (Last: 84.6, 10th)
In the playoffs: 41.9% (Last: 74.1%)
Champions: 1.2% (Last: 2.3%), Doolittle wrote.
Doolittle acknowledged he still has some individual reservations about each of Cleveland’s headline additions, but stressed that together, Jo Adell, Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe address real gaps on the roster while adding a layer of veteran balance to a lineup built heavily around young talent. He specifically noted that even though Griffin is technically a rookie, his presence carries the feel of a proven veteran arm. Taken as a whole, Doolittle ranked the Guardians with the second best deadline in all of baseball and credited them as the second most aggressive team in terms of pure volume of additions, a notable shift for a front office often criticized in years past for standing pat at the deadline.
The updated projections themselves show a team whose roster is now viewed as considerably more complete, even if the numbers come with some nuance. Cleveland’s projected win total sits at 81.9, down slightly from an earlier mark of 84.6, while playoff odds moved to 41.9 percent and championship odds landed at 1.2 percent.
With the American League Central still tightly bunched entering the final stretch, Doolittle’s reassessment adds another data point suggesting Cleveland’s aggressive approach at the deadline could pay dividends. If the Guardians can translate their retooled roster into more consistent results on the field, the kind of praise reflected in these updated projections may prove to be well earned by October.
NEXT: How Worried Should The Guardians Be About Jose Ramirez's Wrist?
