We may only be a couple weeks into the 2026 MLB season, but expectations for the Cleveland Guardians are already shifting.
Coming into the season, the Guardians were predicted to finish barely above .500 and not win the American League Central Division.
Buy Cleveland Guardians tickets
Sitting at 7-5 going into Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, ESPN now has a bold take about the Guardians.
The take is that the Guardians, and their pitching staff, will lead the team back to its first World Series since 2016. ESPN made sure to note that these are, in fact, hot takes. So much so they consider a Guardians World Series the spiciest take, ranking it as “habanero” on their heat scale.
“It’s their pitching that’s going to carry them into the Fall Classic, fueled by the league’s most underrated rotation — learn the names Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo, because they’re going to comprise three-fifths of the second rotation in history (1998 Braves) with 150-plus K’s apiece,” ESPN writers said. “And when the 2026 books are closed, these Guardians will also become the first team in baseball history to capture three different pieces of postseason hardware (MVP Jose Ramirez, Rookie of the Year Chase DeLauter, Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt).”
It’s true that DeLauter is off to a hot start and the team is known for getting the most out of its starting pitchers.
But a World Series prediction is quite bold. Spicy, even.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Are the Guardians a World Series contender? ESPN’s hot take thinks so
Reporting by Dan Kadar, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
