The Cleveland Guardians have been a fixture in the American League playoff field for most of the past decade. That means the organization is well aware of the “anything can happen” nature of the postseason.
Look back to just last year, when the Guardians used a historic rally to overtake the Detroit Tigers and win the AL Central. Then, matched up against the Tigers in the AL Wild Card round, with all of the games at Progressive Field, the Guardians lost to the team that they had just overcome.
Based on the way the AL is taking shape this year, it is unlikely that the Central will put more than one team into this year’s playoffs, so analyst Bruce Drennan is sending a strong message to the Guardians, saying they “gotta win the division,” no matter what their record might be.
“I don’t care what the records are. You get into the playoffs, anything can happen. Anything can happen when you get into the playoffs, so we’ve got to win the division. There’s not gonna be a Wild Card out of this division. You gotta win the division,” Drennan said.
Hold the line til Jose gets back, and let's dance. #GuardsBall
"I don't care what the records are, you get into the playoffs and ANYTHING can happen. We've got to win the division."
– @Bruce_Drennan https://t.co/5w17DoSSM8 pic.twitter.com/076sQ0FkGX
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) June 18, 2026
Heading into play Friday, the Guardians at 40-35 are tied for first place in the AL Central with the surprising Chicago White Sox, who are 39-34. All of the other teams in the division – the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Tigers – are below .500.
As of now, the Guardians would be the second of three AL wild cards. They hold a three-game lead over the final spot, and are one of just five AL teams over .500, so two qualifiers from their division are not out of the question. By comparison, there are 10 National League teams currently above .500.
Cleveland was the potential No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs as recently as a few weeks ago. However, since they were nine games over .500 on June 3, the Guardians are 4-8.
It will not be easy for the Guardians to turn things around, with Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez all coming out of the lineup with injuries. Even with them, Cleveland still had a negative run differential, which should have resulted in a worse record.
The Guardians have shown they know how to maintain success over a long season and can rally if necessary, so they should remain a legitimate contender, as usual.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Guardians' Potential Approach At Trade Deadline
