The quarter-mark of the MLB season is usually a good time to figure out which teams will actually remain in the playoff race for the remainder of the year. However, in 2026, so many teams are bunched together, particularly in the American League, that the task has become much more difficult.
The Cleveland Guardians are among several teams that are hovering around the .500 mark. That includes the entire AL Central, with the division all within three games of each other.
The two-time reigning champion Guardians have been in or near first place all season, which is why CBS Sports analyst Matt Snyder is giving them a nod among MLB’s playoff contenders.
“Contender or pretender? No one in this division is to be trusted, so while I don’t think the Guardians are good, not being bad could be good enough here. They are a contender,” Snyder wrote.
The Guardians are one of just a four AL teams currently over .500, now at 22-21, thanks to a win against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. They have fallen below .500 just twice all season, but they also haven’t been more than three games over at any point. Cleveland’s longest losing streak has been four games, but its longest winning streak has been just three in a row, which it has reached twice this month.
Cleveland has not experienced the offensive improvement from within that it was counting on this season. In fact, many of the Guardians’ key players have taken a significant step backward at the plate, including Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo and Bo Naylor, who was recently demoted to the minors. If not for rookie Chase DeLauter, and unexpected breakouts from Angel Martinez, Brayan Rocchio and Austin Hedges, the team would be much worse off.
There is also some growing concern about the back end of their rotation. Cleveland is 12-5 in games started by Gavin Williams or Parker Messick, and 10-16 in ones started by Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi or Joey Cantillo.
Fortunately, every other AL Central team has glaring issues of its own, including the Detroit Tigers losing two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to an elbow injury, so the path remains available for the Guardians to win the division for a third straight season.
NEXT: MLB Analyst Raves About New Guardians Pitcher's Potential
