Jo Adell spent the first chapter of his MLB career watching October baseball from the outside.
He debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2020, shared a clubhouse with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, and still never got the postseason experience that comes with playing meaningful games in late September. The Angels haven’t reached the playoffs since 2014, and Adell’s seasons in Anaheim were defined by losing records, including a 77-win team in 2021 that stood as the high point.
That changed in 2026.
On deadline day, August 3, the Cleveland Guardians sent catching prospect Jacob Cozart to the Angels and landed Adell, the right-handed power bat they had wanted for months, even years. It was the kind of move Cleveland had been circling for a long time, and they finally got it done on the last day to make trades.
Adell needed time to become the player he is now. He broke in during the pandemic season, but it wasn’t until 2024 that he played more than 100 games, finishing with 130. Then came the breakout year in 2025: 37 home runs and 98 RBI, production that put Cleveland on alert.
His 2026 numbers are split between two teams, but the Guardians have gotten the stronger version of him. He has a 96 wRC+ overall this season, while posting a 107 wRC+ with seven homers and 32 RBI in 48 games for Cleveland.
Now the payoff is here. Adell is heading into the postseason for the first time, and he’ll do it in front of a loud, invested Guardians crowd after spending years in seasons that were effectively over before October even arrived.
“It’s a very tough one because it feels like I’ve been out of the playoffs weeks before the end of the regular season. For us, we were able to finish out playing really strong, competitive ball, and obviously making our way to where we’re going.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is one of the… probably the most fun end of the year regular season baseball I’ve ever had,” Adell said.
Cleveland has already checked off one goal by reaching the playoffs, and this weekend they added another by winning the AL Central. For Adell, that means something he never had in Los Angeles: a real stretch run, a team with a purpose, and now a chance to see what a playoff chase actually feels like.
In Other News...
Guardians Final Roster Move Just Clarified A Key Postseason Battle
The Guardians have started to sort out their postseason pitching picture, and the latest move points to how they want to cover the middle innings if games get hectic. Austin Peterson was added to the pitching staff for the playoffs, giving Cleveland another bulk relief option after he handled that role behind starter Parker Messick in the season finale.
The corresponding roster change came with Craig Yoho coming off the postseason roster, a shift that underscores how fluid the back end of October pitching plans can be. Clevelands current setup appears to center on Parker Messick and Gavin Williams in the rotation, with Daniel Espino and Joey Cantillo lined up to bridge the game behind them, while Tanner Bibee and Foster Griffin remain possibilities to work out of the bullpen. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Playoff Path Is Set And One ALDS Question Looms
The postseason picture is now clear, and Cleveland has landed in a favorable spot as the No. 2 seed in the American League with a first-round bye. Instead of jumping straight into the Wild Card round, the Guardians can wait and see which club emerges from the Houston Astros-Chicago White Sox series before opening their AL Division Series on Oct. 3.
For Cleveland, the setup offers both rest and a little uncertainty, since the next opponent will be determined by a series that could play out a few different ways. The broader October schedule is already in place from the Wild Card Series through the World Series, but the immediate focus for the Guardians is on preparing for either Houstons experience or Chicagos path as they get ready for the first real test of their playoff run. [Read more 🡒]
A Tragic Indians Game Still Carries One Haunting Irony
Griffith Stadium was the setting for a grim moment on Sept. 29, 1943, when a game between the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators was interrupted by tragedy in the stands. A wild throw sent a ball sailing into the crowd and struck fan Clarence Stagemyer in the head, leaving him with a concussion and a fractured skull.
Stagemyer died the following day, and the incident is believed to be the first case of a fan dying as a direct result of a ball-related injury at a Major League Baseball game. For a game that would otherwise have faded into the long blur of wartime baseball, the memory lingers because of the terrible irony at its center. [Read more 🡒]