The Cleveland Guardians are on track to make the AL playoffs for the seventh time since 2016. But they have not gotten back to the World Series in their six recent appearances.
That has raised the level of urgency around the franchise, at least as far as the fans are concerned. Even if the Guardians do complete the impressive task of winning the AL Central for a third straight season, another early playoff exit could render the accomplishment moot.
With that in mind, insider Zack Meisel of The Athletic revealed higher expectations for the Guardians this season, saying they need to take advantage of a weak field of competitors in the American League.
“You gotta go further [than just winning the division]. What’s the circumstance if they win the division and get bounced in the first round this year? Are we patting them on the back again for doing the same thing three straight years and not going further? Especially with the landscape of the American League,” Meisel said.
"You gotta go further… What's the circumstance if they win the division and get bounced in the first round this year? Are we patting them on the back again?"
📞@ZackMeisel says it's not enough for the Guardians to JUST win the AL Central this season pic.twitter.com/Hs2985TCxn
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 17, 2026
Last year, the Guardians trailed the Detroit Tigers by 11 games in September before authoring a historic comeback to win the division on the final day of the season. That unprecedented rally made their three-game AL Wild Card loss to those same Tigers somewhat palatable.
This year, the Guardians have been in first place for 81 days and have never fallen below second place. If they can outlast the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and Tigers, another division title could result in a valuable playoff bye.
With just five AL teams above .500 coming out of the All-Star break, a World Series berth is there for the taking. The league-leading Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees will battle it out for the AL East title, and the Guardians are arguably the next-best team among the potential playoff field.
The Guardians reached the ALCS just two seasons ago, losing to the Yankees in five games. It is as far as Cleveland has advanced since losing the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in a legendary Game 7.
Cleveland has needed the wild card to make the playoffs just once in the past decade, so the expanded playoff field could be what’s hurting the Guardians, as there are more dangerous rounds to navigate than there were in the past.
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