Seven Guardians New Years Resolutions

We all have some things to work on

The Guardians have a new year in front of them and about 40 days until pitchers and catchers report - what should they resolve to do to reach their goal of winning a World Series?

1. Be Opportunistic in Adding to the Current Roster

I wrote recently that I think the Guardians will be fine if they enter the season with the roster as is, provided they are willing to be aggressive in filling roster holes at the trade deadline. However, the team could definitely stand to acquire one more starting pitcher and one more bat that can hit in the middle of the lineup and help against right-handed pitching. There are a LOT of pitchers still out there - free agents Nick Pivetta, Kyle Gibson, Jose Quintana, for example, Erick Fedde, Jordan Montgomery, and Steven Matz as trade targets - who would fit the bill of providing some solid veteran innings and push the rotation depth up another level. Is it possible that one of these arms slips into Cleveland’s range of comfort in terms of acquisition cost, whether in prospects or money or both? If that happens, one small move could make a big difference in helping Cleveland’s rotation go from the 20's in MLB rankings to top 10-15.

Similarly, there are some interesting potential options for improving the offense, though the path to do so seems a good bit narrower. In free agency, the only clear upgrade is Anthony Santander. Will he fall into the Guardians' price range for a surprise Edwin Encarnacion-type deal? Probably not, but one would hope the front offive is wearing out his agent's phone trying to sell Santander on seeing what he missed when the Orioles plucked him from Cleveland. I would also be interested in Ha-Seong Kim who is recovering from a torn labrum. Labrums are scary but at the right price, he would be a nice additionnwith several internal options still here in case he struggles to return. Kim's proven defensive value at short and second is a big selling point for me, but only a 92 wRC+ vs RHP for his career makes it less than a perfect fit. His offensive floor is likely higher than Rocchio's and Brito's, but his ceiling is lower. A one year deal would interest me if that's where he ends up.

It's impossible to know who might be available via trade but names like Brandon Lowe, Brendan Donovan, Jesus Sanchez, and Lars Nootbaar are all of immense interest to me. As the rest of the free agent market sorts itself out, revisiting the availability of these names and others should be on the Guardians' to-do list.

There are also a variety of folks who would be great on a non-roster invite - Jason Heyward, Jorge Polanco, or Mark Canha. Any of this bunch if they get to that point could push the Guardians' internal options in Spring Training and win a spot if they prove themselves.

2. Fix a Bunch of Interesting Pitchers

The Guardians have quite a collection of interesting starting pitcher arms - from Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo, Triston McKenzie, Luis L. Ortiz to Slade Cecconi, each has a flaw (or few) to fix. This offseason, so far, seems like a big bet on Carl Willis, Brad Goldberg and the pitching development system to get at least three of these starters to pitch to the tune of 3.50-4.00 ERA and last 150 innings. So, I am sure the team has a lot of resolutions in terms of mechanics, pitch selection and conditioning for each of the names listed above as well as minor league arms like Doug Nikhazy, Austin Peterson, Ryan Webb and even the biggest lottery ticket of all in Daniel Espino. The pitching development group needs to resolve to be better than ever to help the Guardians be a team of destiny in 2025.

3. Get Better at Baserunning

The Guardians were -1 in Baserunning Runs Above Average in 2024, 17th in MLB. Anecdotally, it feels as if they were a little too reckless in trying to take third base when second base is also scoring position. Their 46 caught stealings were fourth in MLB while they were only 30 stolen bases behind the fourth place MLB team in that category. They need to be smarter baserunners and they need to find a way to replace Andres Gimenez's (2.2 BsR) value there. A full season of Lane Thomas (4.0 BSR) could help but getting more from the speed Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias possess might also be a good way to recoup some value.

4. Don't Back Off From Your Gutsy Approach as a Front Office

Whatever else we might say, making the ALCS and trading two of your starting position players is gutsy behavior. I also don't think it's particularly cost-cutting behavior given their re-signing of Shane Bieber and Austin Hedges, and replacing of Josh Naylor with Carlos Santana. Right now, Cleveland is betting a lot on their farm system and development team. So, I would say, if that's the plan, they need to open Spring Training with a truly open competition and let guys like Juan Brito and Chase DeLauter win a starting job if they look ready. Same for guys like Cecconi and Cantillo.

As noted above, however, there are still chances to take some big swings in free agency or trades (whether now or in July). The front office needs to capitalize on the opportunity in front of them and fortify this roster to make a real run at a title. The time is now with Jose Ramirez still producing as one of the best players in baseball and guys like Steven Kwan, Tanner Bibee, Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith surrounding him.

5. Reflect on Rare Managerial Mistakes from 2024 and Adjust Accordingly

Over and over, Stephen Vogt made the right calls during the regular season. Over and over, his logic and thinking was easy to distinguish. I hope and believe he will be spending some time this offseason examining some decisions he made in the ALCS that were puzzling and turned out poorly. As he said, "learn the lesson, leave the event." Hope as we all are doing that with 2024 in our own ways, Vogt will be doing that in regards to the 2024 postseason.

6. Go to Another Level with Grant Fink Heading up Hitting

Opinions were, at best, mixed on former Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika's performance. But, the offense clearly took a step forward in 2024, relying on pulled-fly balls and high contact rates. The team has a chance to lean further into that approach in 2025 while adding in some better plate discipline with the potential additions of Carlos Santana, full-time Kyle Manzardo, Juan Brito and Chase DeLauter to the roster. Fink will win the hearts of all Guardians' fans if he can help Bo Naylor recapture his 2023 form, help Brayan Rocchio maintain his playoff form, help Lane Thomas continue being his September-October self, and if he can help Jhonkensy Noel lay off JUST enough bad pitches to get consistently to his incredible raw power as he did from June-August in 2024. A lot relies on Fink to avoid an offensive funk.

7. Bring Guards Fest Back for 2026

It's not too late to reverse course, Paul Dolan and company. Your fans deserve better than this tri-annual silliness. Give your fans a reason to feel a little more positively about your ownership tenure as it winds down.

To paraphrase Anne of Green Gables, "every January is a new year with no mistakes in it." Let's see what kind of resolve the Guardians have to make this a year to remember forever.