Quick (April) Reminder That The Guardians Have The Best Record In All Of Baseball While Having The 5th Lowest Payroll
Before you all say it, I'm going to beat you to it:
1. It is April.
2. The Guardians have played the Oakland A's seven times in their first 22 games.
3. The Guardians have played the Twins, White Sox, and A's 12x in their first 22 games.
3. It is April.
Here's my response to all of the above: I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! The fact of the matter is that we were given an Over/Under win total of 79.5 games, and through 14% of the season, we have the best record in all of baseball. I'm not going to sit here with my thumb in my ass and not mention it. Because not only are we more than exceeding expectations with one of the smallest payrolls in all of baseball, we're also doing it with one of the most fun teams I've ever seen. Extend Josh Naylor today on our off day!!!
Now, do I think that we're going to finish as the #1 seed in the American League? No, I don't. Do I still see a world where the Guardians cool off and end up Sellers at the deadline? Yes, that could certainly happen. But what am I supposed to do? Sit here and cry and complain about such a hot start? No, I'm going to soak in every minute of this. I thought that when Shane Bieber went down and needed season ending Tommy John surgery that a dark cloud would cover the rest of our season, but we've only continued to play better and better. Guys, what if.....and it's just an if.....we were BUYERS at the deadline this year? Improved our starting pitching and really made a run at this thing. Why not us in the AL Central.....?
And to everyone saying we've overinflated our record thus far by playing the A's so much….how about the fact that we still get to play everyone in this division the rest of the season? 19x each! Is 81 wins really going to win the AL Central this year? Because if so, a team with 16 wins already and still getting to play the Twins and White Sox double digit times each puts us in a pretty damn good spot.
* As for having one of the smallest payroll in the league, I will admit that's not anyone else's problem other than Cleveland. It's a damn shame we have such cheap ownership. Because year in and year out, this organization puts a quality, well-managed team out onto the field with far less resources to spend than the teams we're playing. So me pointing out the payrolls actually isn't a badge of honor for the Tribe, but I think it's pretty embarrassing for teams like the Cardinals, Astros, and White Sox?
Yes, I will check back in on all of this at the All-Star break.