The Cleveland Guardians were sellers, albeit minor ones, at the 2025 trade deadline. They were on the outside looking in, sitting significantly far back, and with the Emmanuel Clase investigation, things were bleak in Cleveland.
But despite selling and at one point being 15.5 games back for the AL Central, on August 12th, the Guardians are only 6.5 games back of the Detroit Tigers and one game back for a spot in the AL Wild Card.
Cleveland has been hot, and they're now not too far out of a postseason spot. Will Leitch of MLB.com listed five reasons why the Guardians can not just make the postseason, but also overtake the Tigers to complete the biggest comeback in MLB history.
The first reason why Cleveland can catch Detroit goes hand-in-hand with his fourth point: not only are the Guardians getting hot at the right time, but the Tigers are cooling off lately.
"... but it should be noted that the Guardians have the best record in the American League (21-8) since they fell eight games under .500 on July 6." Leitch writes. "(Only the Brewers have been better in all of baseball during that span.)"
While Cleveland has been hot since July 6th, the same can't be said for Detroit. At the same time, the Tigers have gone 13-17, floundering to 69-51, and no longer hold the top record in the AL or baseball, as they did earlier in the year.
Another factor behind the Guardians' ascension has been the bullpen's dominance, even with Clase out of the picture. "They, somehow, have the best bullpen ERA in baseball since July 7, at 2.26." Leitch writes.
Cade Smith has been great, while Nic Enright (who is receiving cancer treatments amid his strong season), Erik Sabrowski, Jakob Junis, and Kolby Allard have all contributed to a strong bullpen lately for the Guardians.
MORE: Guardians' veteran right-handed pitcher sold to KBO Lotte Giants
The third reason why the Guardians can turn the corner and surpass the Tigers is thanks to their schedule. They close out the year with six of their final 12 games against the Tigers.
If they're close by, then, which is favorable for their schedule, the Guardians could pass the Tigers with a dominant series. While they have a tough September, the Guardians being close to Detroit for those final series will put a lot of pressure on the Tigers.
Lastly, one of the more important points is that the Tigers' pitching has "imploded." Detroit has a 5.47 ERA since July 9th, which is only better than the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies, two teams at the bottom of baseball.
Even staff ace Tarik Skubal is struggling, with a 3.68 ERA over his last five starts. Casey Mize hasn't been great, with a 7.32 ERA in his last five outings. They did add Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack at the deadline, but neither has been incredible for Detroit so far.
While it's a massive uphill battle for the Guardians, sitting just 6.5 games back of the Tigers with a little over a month and a half to go, there's reason to believe in the Guardians' chances of surpassing Detroit.
If they did, it'd be the largest deficit a team has overcome in the division, beating out the 1978 New York Yankees, who were 14 games down. Cleveland was 15.5 games back and in fourth place.
But now, first place is within grasp, and the Guardians look like a team that can leapfrog the Tigers to complete the largest comeback in MLB history. A lot needs to go the Guardians' way, but as Leitch laid out, there's reason for optimism in Cleveland.
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