CLEVELAND -- The Guardians put the finishing touches on their improbable late-season surge on Sunday, when they completed one of the greatest in-season comebacks in baseball history to clinch the American League Central.
But don’t be quick to assume that a magical September will be good enough for Cleveland. The Guardians’ late-season rise to crash the postseason party is only validation for what they felt they were capable of seven months ago, when they opened Spring Training in Goodyear, Ariz.
The script perhaps wasn’t as smooth as they would have hoped for, but the goal is unchanged.
“World Series. That's always been the goal,” catcher Austin Hedges said. “We just won this division when everyone counted us out. I'm sure a lot of people aren't counting us in in the playoffs, but we'll go shock them there, too.”
By now, you may have heard the Guardians were 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central at one point this season. And you also may have heard that’s the largest deficit a team has overcome to win its division (since 1969) or league (pre-1969).
The Guardians (who opened September 68-67, with a 4.8 percent chance of reaching the playoffs according to FanGraphs) went 19-4 from Sept. 5 through the end of the season on the road to clinching.
It’s poetic that Cleveland (No. 3 seed) and Detroit (No. 6 seed) will face off in the Wild Card Series. These two clubs played six times over the final two weeks of the regular season. They tussled in a memorable five-game AL Division Series one year ago.
“What a beautiful thing,” Hedges said. “The world now gets to watch us play each other again in the playoffs, and it's just going to make for some great baseball.”
For now, here are some of the questions that lie ahead.
What could the postseason roster look like?
Here is how the Guardians’ 26-man postseason roster could stack up.
Catcher (2): Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges
First base (1): C.J. Kayfus
Second base (1): Brayan Rocchio
Third base (1): José Ramírez
Shortstop (1): Gabriel Arias
Outfield (7): Steven Kwan, Angel Martínez, George Valera, Jhonkensy Noel, Petey Halpin, Johnathan Rodríguez, Chase DeLauter
DH (1): Kyle Manzardo
Utility (1): Daniel Schneemann
Starting pitchers (3): Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi
Relief pitchers (7): Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, Matt Festa, Jakob Junis, Kolby Allard, Tim Herrin, Joey Cantillo
Closer (1): Cade Smith
What roster questions do the Guardians face?
How many pitchers and how many position players will they carry? Active rosters expand to 28 players in September but go back down to 26 in the postseason. Teams may only carry a max of 13 pitchers, though in a short best-of-three series could opt to carry an extra position player, for 14 total.
Or perhaps 15? DeLauter (Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect, No. 54 overall) is part of the Guardians’ taxi squad for the Wild Card Series (as is catcher Dom Nuñez), and the 23-year-old’s presence at Progressive Field for Monday’s workout was a surprising development.
DeLauter (who underwent right wrist surgery on July 23 for a hamate fracture) took fly balls in center field and on-field batting practice. He certainly appears under consideration for a roster spot.
The Guardians could add DeLauter and subtract a starter, such as Parker Messick or Cantillo, who otherwise will be pitching in relief. Cantillo has experience pitching in relief; he made 21 such appearances this season. Messick (who has impressed since his Aug. 20 MLB debut) has made three in his career, all in the Minors.
On that note: Which pitchers from the six-man staff will comprise the Guardians’ rotation, and which will be in the bullpen? Logan Allen started Sunday’s regular-season finale, likely rendering him unavailable for the Wild Card Series. Will both Cantillo and Messick be on the roster as relievers?
When will the postseason begin for the Guardians?
Cleveland will host AL Central rival Detroit in the best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:08 p.m. ET on ESPN.
What is the full series schedule?
Game 2 is set for Wednesday, and Game 3 is Thursday (if necessary). All three games are scheduled for 1:08 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by ESPN.
How did the season series go between the Guardians and Tigers?
The Guardians fared well against Detroit, winning the season series, 8-5, while recording a +12 run differential. That included a four-game series win (May 22-25) and a three-game sweep (Sept. 16-18) at Comerica Park. At Progressive Field, the Tigers swept the Guardians (July 4-6), and Cleveland won the most recent series, a three-game set this past week.
How will the Guardians align their starting rotation?
Manager Stephen Vogt named Williams and Bibee starters for Games 1 and 2, and Cecconi will pitch Game 3 if the series goes the distance.
Williams recorded a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings over four starts in September, two of which were against Detroit. He allowed just two runs to the Tigers across those outings. That was part of his breakout 2025 campaign in which he recorded a 3.06 ERA in 167 2/3 innings over 31 starts, each of which was a career best.
Bibee likewise had a great September (1.30 ERA in 27 2/3 innings over four starts). He had an up and down 2025 after being named the Guardians' Opening Day starter during Spring Training, but seems to have found his form at the right time. He recorded a 2.93 ERA over his final six regular-season starts. He went six innings each time, his longest such stretch of the season.
Cecconi emerged as a key cog in the Guardians’ rotation, after they acquired him from the D-backs on Dec. 21 in the Josh Naylor trade. Cecconi joined the rotation on May 17, after Ben Lively underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old Cecconi posted a 4.30 ERA in 132 innings over 23 starts, which included a 3.90 ERA in 30 innings over five September starts.
How have the Guardians fared against other AL postseason teams?
Here is the Guardians’ record and their run differential this season against each AL team they could match up with in later rounds.
Blue Jays: 3-3, -8
Yankees: 3-3, -2
Red Sox; 2-4, -12
Mariners: 2-4, -12
What is the status of the Guardians’ injured players?
Vogt noted this week Nolan Jones is expected to be out for “a while” with a right oblique strain. Barring a deep run by Cleveland, Jones’ availability for the postseason is in question.
Outfielder Lane Thomas will miss the rest of the season after undergoing right foot surgery for plantar fasciitis. David Fry is out for the season after he suffered multiple facial and nasal fractures last Tuesday, which will require 6-8 weeks to heal. Reliever Nic Enright (right forearm/elbow inflammation) will not return this season as he continues to sort things out with specialists.
Lefty John Means appears to be at the end of his Tommy John surgery rehab progression, though he has yet to make his season debut and last pitched in the Majors in May 2024. It’s tough to envision the Guardians dropping him back into action in a high-stakes setting after that long.
When do postseason tickets go on sale?
Guardians postseason tickets for the Wild Card Series are on sale now.