Outfielder Jo Adell made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Los Angeles Angels. He shared a clubhouse with the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, yet he was never able to experience October baseball there.
The Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014, so despite playing with those two superstars, Adell was on some lousy teams, some of which didn’t even have a chance. That, however, has changed in 2026.
On deadline day, on August 3, the Cleveland Guardians sent catching prospect Jacob Cozart to LA and got Adell in return. They had been seeking a right-handed power-hitting outfielder for months, even years, and they got their man on the last day to execute trades.
Adell took a while to develop into the version of himself he currently is. He made his debut in the pandemic season, but it was in 2024 when he was finally able to play more than 100 games, with 130.
In 2025, he hit 37 homers and drove in 98 runs, and that definitely caught Cleveland’s eye. He has a 96 wRC+ in 2026 between the Angels and Guardians, but boasts a 107 wRC+ with seven homers and 32 RBI in 48 games with the latter.
Adell has given Cleveland the best of himself, and his reward is about to come: playing postseason games in front of a raucous, passionate Guardians’ crowd.
“It’s a very tough one because it feels like I’ve been out of the playoffs weeks before the end of the regular season. For us, we were able to finish out playing really strong, competitive ball, and obviously making our way to where we’re going. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is one of the… probably the most fun end of the year regular season baseball I’ve ever had,” Adell said.
(Via #Guardians audio) Jo Adell to reporters in Kansas City on the difference in emotions of his season ending today after game 162, to now finally going to the playoffs:
“It’s a very tough one because it feels like when… my previous experiences, you know I've been out of the…
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 28, 2026
With the Angels, Adell didn’t really experience a stretch run in which he was with a team in contention for a spot in the postseason. Each and every season he was in LA yielded a negative record, with the 77 wins they got in 2021 being the highest.
Then, he came over to Cleveland and got to experience what it’s like to be in a group that’s fighting for relevant common goals. They achieved the first one, which was making the postseason, and this weekend, they crossed another item off the list after winning the AL Central.
For the first time in his career, Adell will get to taste a playoff run. He can’t wait.
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