Ernie Clement’s October heroics for the Blue Jays were the kind of thing that can still make Cleveland fans wince. He was one of the breakout names of last postseason, and every big swing or slick play came with the reminder that the Guardians had moved on after only 103 big league games.
Clement is just one example, though. There are a handful of former Guardians hitters positioned to matter in September, and each one has a chance to leave a mark with his new club over the season’s final month.
Bo Naylor is the newest name on that list, and the Brewers are already set up for a run at yet another American League Central title. Milwaukee just added him to the roster, but that shouldn’t be read as a depth move with no teeth. The early signs from his time with the Brewers’ Triple-A club have been encouraging, and they’ve come with a noticeable change in how he’s approaching the plate.
Naylor’s time in Cleveland had its flashes, but consistency never really arrived. Even so, there should be enough opportunity for him to see some at-bats behind William Contreras and Gary Sánchez, who are already locked in as Milwaukee’s catching tandem.
Josh Naylor, meanwhile, is trying to find a little more of the power that made last year such a big step forward. At this point last season, he was in the middle of the best stretch of his career, the kind of run that helped him land his deal with the Mariners.
This year has looked different. Seattle has been a disappointment, and Naylor’s production has dipped with it.
He entered play today with a .692 OPS, which would stand as the worst full-season mark of his career. Still, the Mariners are hanging around enough to keep the door open, sitting 5 games back in the division and 4 1/2 games out in the Wild Card chase. That leaves room for Naylor to deliver more of the big moments Seattle was hoping for when it brought him in.
Richie Palacios has never actually played in the postseason, even though he’s spent time with three teams that have had success around him: the Guardians, Cardinals and Rays. That could finally change this year. Tampa Bay has been a wrecking ball all season and owns the American League’s best record, and Palacios has carved out an everyday role.
The numbers don’t jump off the page at first glance - a .226/.321/.341 slashline - but there’s real value in the profile. His 11.4% walk rate is healthy, he’s already driven in a career-high 41 runs, and he’s seen time at five different positions this season. That kind of versatility tends to travel well when the calendar flips to October.
Amed Rosario is another familiar name with a postseason role in front of him. He was part of Cleveland’s run to the American League Division Series four years ago, and he could end up in a similar kind of spot this fall, only now with the Yankees. This will be his second postseason with New York after the club picked him up at last year’s trade deadline.
The difference this time is the size of the role. Rosario has been the Yankees’ primary third base option alongside Ryan McMahon, and that matters because their infield has been shaky. Anthony Volpe and George Lombard Jr. have both struggled at shortstop, leaving room for Rosario to stay in the middle of things if New York needs him.
Lane Thomas rounds out the group, and he’s already got one October moment that still stands out. He was the guy who hit the grand slam that put Cleveland on top against the Tigers in the 2024 postseason. The clip speaks for itself, but his time with the Guardians was otherwise limited by a serious case of plantar fasciitis.
Now he’s with the Braves, and the chance is there for another significant September stretch.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Have A Postseason Problem They Never Expected From Bibee
Tanner Bibees recent start in Toronto only added to the uneasy feeling around Clevelands rotation at the exact moment the Guardians can least afford it. In a 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays, Bibee gave up five runs in four innings, another reminder that the clubs most important stretch run is being complicated by a pitcher who entered the game as one of the biggest questions on the staff.
Cleveland is still clinging to a half-game lead for the American Leagues final Wild Card spot at 70-70, but the margin for error is thin and the pitching picture is getting harder to trust. Bibee has been inconsistent enough to lead the majors in losses, and if the Guardians are going to make this race hold, they need a lot more certainty from a starter they expected to lean on when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Face A Bullpen Question Before A Crucial Doubleheader
Carlos Hernndez had been giving the Guardians a look out of the bullpen, working two relief appearances and striking out multiple batters while operating in low-leverage spots. Even so, Cleveland moved him off the roster to create space for pitching prospect Austin Peterson ahead of a doubleheader, a reminder of how quickly a club can shift its pitching picture when the schedule tightens.
The move leaves Hernndez in limbo as the Guardians wait to see whether he clears waivers and stays in the organization. For a team trying to manage arms around a crucial doubleheader, it is another small but potentially meaningful bullpen wrinkle, especially with a call-up in Peterson now taking priority over a veteran reliever who had just started to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Deadline Gamble Just Made This Stretch Feel Massive
The Guardians spent deadline week reshaping the roster in a way that was always going to be judged by what came next. ESPNs read has their playoff chances up by 14.3% after the moves, and Cleveland has already seen different shades of impact from Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe, Foster Griffin and Craig Yoho as the new pieces settle in. Even with that boost, the standings still leave plenty to chase, with Cleveland sitting three games back in the AL Central and trying to keep pace in a race that has tightened at just the right time.
What makes this stretch so important is that the deadline only matters if the Guardians can turn those additions into actual wins over the next few weeks. Their current postseason odds sit at 44.2%, which is enough to keep the conversation alive but not enough to make anything comfortable. The pressure now is less about the novelty of the trade haul and more about whether Cleveland can make the upgraded roster look like a contender before the schedule stops offering much room for error. [Read more 🡒]