Guardians Manager Explains 'Really Hard Decisions' With ALDS Roster

Stephen Vogt breaks down the choices the Cleveland Guardians made with their ALDS roster.

Cleveland Guardians right fielder Will Brennan, left, celebrates with Cleveland Guardians centerfielder Tyler Freeman (2) after beating the Seattle Mariners in an MLB game at Progressive Field, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Guardians are working on their last-minute preparations for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. The organization announced its roster for this round of the playoffs, and some notable names were left off the list.

Some of those players include Nick Sandlin, Pedro Avila, Angel Martinez, and Ben Lively. This paved the way for both Tyler Freeman and Alex Cobb to be added back onto the roster before the ALDS.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt admitted that they had to make some tough choices with the roster, and he explained the rationale for these decisions, too.

"I'll start with the position players. I think for us, it's finding a way to maximize those matchups. So, by having 14 position players, it allows us to work with their bullpen games and be able to find the favorable matchup as often as possible as we go throughout the game. Also, we have a very good position player group to choose from." said Vogt.

"We had to make some really hard decisions, and it was not easy, but we just wanna make sure we have as many versatile players as possible. So, having [Tyler Freeman] and [Daniel Schneemann] who can go all over the field allows us to make the moves we need to make."

Sep 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) relieves starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Tigers have a heavy left-handed pitching staff. Theoretically this means an extra right-handed bat such as Freeman could be vaulable in a pinch-hit situation. As Vogt said, Freeman is also a player who can play anywhere needed on the field.

The biggest name left off the roster regarding the pitching group was Ben Lively, who was in Cleveland's rotation the entire season. Here's what Vogt had to say about their decisions with the pitching staff.

"The pitching format of this five-game series over seven to eight days allows us to really lean on our bullpen guys later in the game. Having the two length options at the back with [Gavin Williams] and [Joey Cantillo], it allows us to do some different things out of the bullpen that maybe more able to do during the regular season."

The Guardians are clearly prioritizing specific matchups for this series, both on offense and defense. We'll have to wait and see how this plays out over the first few games to see if this was the correct choices.