The Cleveland Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers are separated by about 400 miles and play in different leagues. However, they are much closer to each other than those facts suggest.
Playing in the AL Central and NL Central, respectively, both organizations have found success by relying on player development rather than extravagant spending to acquire other people’s stars. The approach has paid off with multiple postseason berths, though a World Series title has remained elusive.
Insider Paul Hoynes recently pointed out the surprising similarities the Guardians share with the NL contenders, calling them “well-run teams” from smaller markets.
“It makes sense,” Hoynes said. “Milwaukee won an NL Central title last year with the best record in baseball. Cleveland won the AL Central last year with a historic comeback. These are two well-run teams that are playing in mid-to-small markets. … They’re like kissing cousins almost when it comes to being kind of locked in.”
Despite annually having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, the Guardians have won their division in three of the past four seasons, including the past two, and have made seven postseason appearances since 2016. Meanwhile, the Brewers have won their division three years in a row, and four out of five, and they have been to the playoffs seven times since 2018.
The teams are also led by two-time defending Managers of the Year. Stephen Vogt of the Guardians and Pat Murphy of the Brewers each won the award in their first two MLB seasons.
However, neither team has reached the World Series in quite some time, though they have been close recently. Cleveland lost the 2024 ALCS to the New York Yankees in five games, and Milwaukee was swept in the 2025 NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Based on their budget-conscious philosophies, both teams tend to move on from star players before they become too expensive. Though the Guardians have a reputation for doing so, with first baseman Josh Naylor and pitcher Shane Bieber as some recent examples, the Brewers may be even more proactive than that, having traded away ace pitchers Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta for a collection of prospects.
Despite all of that success, some projections have the Guardians falling well short of the playoffs this season, despite returning most of last year’s team that overcame a historic deficit to win their division.
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