The Guardians have been in the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons, including the 2016 World Series, but they’ll almost certainly be at home this October. They have a young team with an MVP candidate in their lineup and an organization that can just churn out pitching, but frugality by ownership has given them little depth. The team hung around .500 for most of the year, and was only a game out of first in a weak division at the trade deadline, but a poor month of August has buried their chances of post-season contention.
The Guardians have played better lately, and are fresh off a home sweep of the slumping Texas Rangers.