Jeff Passan

What have they done that suggests that they're worthy of that?

What have they shown, other than for maybe a week-long stretch here or there, that this team has any chance of turning things around?

I mean, maybe it goes back to the belief in starting pitching.

But starting pitching has gotten you to a 22-37 record at this point, regardless of how good it's been.

So...

That's not working.

And it's not like we're 10 or 20 or 30 games into the season, guys.

We're approaching the halfway mark of the season.

And if at that point you don't have a decent sense of what you are, a feeling of what you can be, and that the what they can be

is the type of team that can claw back from this seemingly insurmountable lead that Cleveland has right now.

Listen, I will fully acknowledge that the Cleveland Guardians are a team that has flaws, and it's not like we're looking at a team that's going to be anywhere near favored to win the World Series this year.

Like, in terms of playoff teams, if the season ended today...

I think the Yankees would have better odds.

I think the Rays would have better odds.

I think the Mariners would have better odds.

And depending on who the wild cards are, I think, you know, certainly if one of them comes out of the East, probably going to have better odds.

So...

uh that's the team by the way that the royals are chasing so if they're chasing this team that's probably fourth or fifth in line in the american league alone and oh by the way they have to leapfrog two other teams in their own division and you know six seven other teams within their own league to get there it just it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to chase that it's it's almost like if you have bad money into something

acknowledge that there's a sunk cost instead of trying to repair it when it might just be irreparable.

And I think a lot of this will coincide also with the opening of the new stadium.