The Guardians made it all the way to the ALCS last year while dominating an AL Central division that sent three teams to the playoffs, and over the offseason they augmented their lineup with players like , , and . While that hasnt been enough to prevent the Tigers from becoming the kings of the hill in the division, its still been more than enough to keep the Guardians firmly in the AL playoff picture throughout the year. They currently sport a solid Taj Bradley Jersey 29-25 record, which leaves them tied with the Astros in the standings for the second of three AL Wild Card spots. Cracks have begun to show in Clevelands armor, however. Their 93 wRC+ as a team gives them the eighth-worst offense in the majors this year, down from last years 100 wRC+ that was dead-on average and good for a median 8th in the AL. The rotation, similarly, is in the bottom eight in baseball by measure of both ERA (4.21) and FIP (4.52) this year. Thats actually one spot better than last years team, which ranked seventh from the bottom in rotation ERA (4.40) and FIP (4.51), but the pitching has deteriorated overall thanks to a ma sive step back for the clubs once-impenetrable bullpen. Relievers have always been fickle when it comes to year-to-year performance, and evidently even a group as dominant as the Guardians 2024 bullpen is subject to variance. After leading baseball in both ERA (2.57) and FIP (3.30) out of the pen by a substantial margin last year, this years relief corps is actually below average by ERA (4.01), and has fallen to eighth in the majors (3.58) by measure of FIP. For a team that leaned so heavily on elite performances from pieces like and last year, a leaky bullpen is a major concern. On some level, its impre sive that the Guards have been able to win even this much given their backsliding offense and much weaker contributions from the bullpen. With that being said, those flaws have made them the only team presently in playoff position in either league with a negative run differential; theyve allowed 20 more runs than theyve scored entering play today, and the next weakest mark among that group is held by a Padres club that has done the inverse, with 20 more runs scored than allowed. Will Cleveland be able to either improve those underlying numbers, or continue winning in spite of them? One thing that should benefit them is that their bullpens underlying metrics remain strong. As previously mentioned, they remain a top-ten club by bullpen FIP, and their relief corpss 3.39 SIERA is good for an even better sixth in the majors. Theres some positive signs on offense, too, with Jones significantly under-performing his expected metrics and likely to improve his performance the longer hes back from the injured list. The rotation should get reinforcements eventually, as well, with longtime ace expected back from Tommy John surgery at some point this year. Even if those players dont manage to turn things around, the Guardians could still benefit from a weak AL playoff field. While no team within even six games of a playoff spot in the NL has a negative run differential entering play today, the Royals, Rangers, and Blue Jays all have negative run differentials and make up three of the four teams within three games of an AL Wild Card spot. Unlike the Guardians, those clubs havent been so fortunate as to substantially outperform their expected records in the early going, with Texas and Toronto in particular both underwater at present. Each of those teams have their own flaws and challenges that could make it hard for them to catch the Guardians, while a more well-constructed club like the Red Sox just lost and is currently on a four-game skid that leaves them 3.5 games behind Cleveland. How do MLBTR readers view the Guardians playoff situation? Will they be able to hold onto their position in the playoff race for the long haul in spite of the early red flags? Or will another team emerge to push them out of the conversation? Have your say in the poll below: Will The Guardians Make The Playoffs In 2025? Yes, they'll be able to hold on despite some shaky underlying numbers. 55.35% (1,008votes) No, they'll regre s going forward and be overtaken by another club. 44.65% (813votes) Total Votes: 1,821 Michael Martinez Jersey