Former MLB All-Star Makes Bold Postseason Prediction For Guardians

Less than a week ago, the Cleveland Guardians had to have some serious concerns about their ability to get back to the playoffs for a third straight season. Ever since the All-Star break, they had been struggling, and they fell out of first place in the AL Central while also dropping out of the AL Wild Card position.

But what a difference a week can make. Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Guardians are back within striking distance of the first-place Chicago White Sox in the division and are holding the third AL Wild Card entering play on Friday. Now, not only are the playoffs back in sight, but even bigger things may be in store.

Former MLB All-Star pitcher Dontrelle Willis is making a bold postseason prediction for the Guardians, saying that they have the talent and roster makeup to get to the World Series.

“The Cleveland Guardians [could make a run and go to the World Series], especially the adds they had on the offensive side. Love what I’ve seen from Jo Adell, playing with a lot of confidence. Steven Kwan’s been an absolute monster since the All-Star break. Chase DeLauter, the power’s been up and down, but he’s hitting .377 over his last 15 ballgames. They have more teeth than just the Jose Ramirez show that we know and love. You pair that with the rotation that is very solid. Stephen Vogt always believes in this locker room. They believe that they have a chance every single year to be able to win the World Series. This year, I love how they’re constructed,” Willis said.

If you had to pick a team outside of the AL East to make a run at the Pennant, who would it be?@DTrainMLB likes the @CleGuardians 👀 pic.twitter.com/BeNhKyenZn

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 27, 2026

A strong performance by their starting rotation, led by Gavin Williams and Parker Messick, had the Guardians in or near first place in the division for the entire first half of the season, despite an offense that was among the worst in the majors. Then, coming out of the All-Star break, Cleveland lost 18 of 26 games and fell to fourth place in the division.

However, since then, the Guardians have won nine of 11. They are just 2.5 games behind the White Sox, putting another division title within reach, and hold a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers for the last wild card.

The surge has been led by Adell, a trade deadline acquisition who is providing the right-handed power that the lineup was lacking. During a recent three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the outfielder had six hits and six RBIs. Leading up to that, he also had a six-RBI game against the San Francisco Giants.

The optimism may be tempered by the fact that this recent surge has come against the Rockies and Los Angeles Angels, who are tied for the worst record in the majors. Cleveland now gets to open a 10-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals, who have the fifth-worst mark.

Hopefully, the Guardians can continue to take advantage of their schedule and put themselves in an even better position for another September run to the playoffs.