Cleveland Guardians Receive Troubling Take For MLB Playoffs

The Cleveland Guardians have been hit with a very concerning take heading into the MLB playoffs.

Aug 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) reacts during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are well on their way to cruising to an AL Central division title, and barring a monumental collapse, they will absolutely participate in the MLB playoffs.

That's all well and good.

However, Will Leitch of MLB.com feels that the Guardians' shortcomings may result in some extreme difficulties in the postseason.

In a piece where Leitch listed which contenders should be most concerned in order from most to lost, he had Cleveland ranked No. 1.

Leitch cited the usual suspects for the Guardians: a dearth of starting pitching and a maddeningly inconsistent lineup that has been half-asleep since the All-Star break.

He does mention Cleveland's outstanding bullpen, but his level of worry for the Guardians' problem areas seemed to supersede his admiration for the team's relief pitching.

Cleveland has been playing better ball of late, having won seven of its last 10 games. Most recently, the Guardians swept the Chicago White Sox, but, well, it's the White Sox.

Going back a bit further, Cleveland has really been a fairly pedestrian team for quite some time now.

Since starting 36-17, the Guardians have gone just 48-45, and since peaking at 51-26 in June, Cleveland has gone a meager 33-36.

Steven Kwan was once flirting with .400, but now, he may not even hit .300. Jose Ramirez owns a .621 OPS in September. David Fry has come plummeting back down to earth after a scintillating start, and while Josh Naylor has shattered career highs in home runs and RBI, he has been very inconsistent and is slashing just .240/.314/.411 since hte break.

In spite of how good the Guardians' record looks, they have prominent issues, and that may prevent them from actually making a serious run in the playoffs.