Latest news with #ZackMeisel
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Answering your Guardians questions: DeLauter updates, Kwan's struggles and more
Zack Meisel discussed Steven Kwan's current health, when we can expect to see John Means and how much optimism is a reasonable amount of optimism during a wide-ranging live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers on Friday. Here are some highlights from that live discussion. To see answers to more Guardians questions, read the full Q&A. (Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length.) Steven Kwan has a long history of quad issues and fading a bit towards the middle of the season. Plus, he's had the wrist thing this year. Is his recent struggle more to do with the wrist or just the usual wear and tear/fatigue? — Matt S. Both he and manager Stephen Vogt said this week that the wrist is not bothering him. Do I believe them? Hard to say. My rule of thumb has always been, if a player doesn't use an injury as an excuse, then why should I? How are we supposed to know exactly how much pain someone is dealing with? After two years of stretches of extremes, I do wonder if Kwan will try to unearth some way to find more middle ground at the plate next year. He's been super streaky. Advertisement John Means is starting his rehab assignment. What are the odds he's ready to give some quality innings by the end of the season? — Scotty H. He'll give them some innings for sure. Hate to hold him to any standard of quality given how little he's pitched the last few years, though. But they'd love to just see enough that convinces them to exercise his option. Zack, do you have an update on prospects Chase DeLauter and Juan Brito? Is there any chance we see either down the stretch to help the offense? — Matthew T. The last update on Brito sounded ominous; it had me thinking that's a late-September call-up, if at all, like Will Brennan and Bo Naylor in 2022. I have no idea what they'll do with DeLauter now, honestly. Does he have to go through their slow build-up process again? That'll take until January. He's a little more than three weeks into a recovery that was expected to take six to eight. So, maybe the same thought as Brito. Any word on when David Fry will start throwing? He was a huge asset last year when he could play any position and was hitting. Only being able to hit has hamstrung the team at times. If pitchers are on a throwing programs a year after Tommy John surgery, is there any chance he would be able to play defense in the playoffs? — Austin G. He's been throwing for a bit now — up to 90 feet as of a couple weeks ago. I'll bring my ruler to the park to see if that's still the case. There have been whispers about whether he could play first base this year, but whenever that gets mentioned, it gets dismissed, which makes sense, since they already have three first basemen on the roster as it is. But having flexibility with him makes him far more valuable. Hey Zack, on the Godcast before this run, you bemoaned the lack of direction in the team's assets. I believe you stated a general lack of enthusiasm for the roster going forward. Has your view there changed? You're closer than your readers, but from afar, it would appear the team has a strong potential rotation going forward, a few good controllable bullpen arms, and positional depth. Am I just being Vogt-like in my optimism, or are there maybe some good days ahead? They're never as bad as they look in a 10-game losing streak and never as great as they look in a hot stretch. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and that's the case here, too. The Guardians often juggle contending and developing simultaneously, but for a few months, they weren't doing well enough at either. I know it's doubly frustrating for fans because a generational talent on a self-forced generational discount isn't getting younger. Oh, and this was an ALCS team last year. Their top prospect list is filled with intriguing hitters. The key to the entire operation will be making sure they hit on enough of them. That means giving them opportunities and trading the right ones for proven talent. It means getting the timing right on a lot of things. I think there should be optimism! I'm interested to see how it all plays out. (Top photo of Steven Kwan: Nick Cammett / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Live Q&A with Guardians writer Zack Meisel: Friday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. ET
A lot has happened in Guardians World since the trade deadline last month, which is why The Athletic's Zack Meisel will be here to answer any questions you may have starting at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 15. Leave your questions below for a chance to be featured in a future column.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians should cut ties with Carlos Santana at MLB trade deadline
The Cleveland Guardians are a team that's been at the center of various trade rumors over the past month. At the start of June, they were rumored to be buyers, but now, they'd been dubbed as sellers. While Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase are doubtful to be moved, the Guardians could ship off some of their other veterans. Zack Meisel of The Athletic laid down the case for the Guardians to move on from multiple players, but none make more sense than Carlos Santana. "The Guardians could seek a taker for impending free agents such as Carlos Santana or Lane Thomas," Meisel writes, "If the Guardians move Santana at the deadline, that would clear a spot for Kayfus, who has earned a look." A huge reason why the Guardians would need to move Santana to call up C.J. Kafus is that the team has a preferred spot for the top prospect to play once he's up in the majors. "The team would prefer him at first base instead of promoting him to try to handle right field," Meisel writes, "Where he's been a work in progress." MORE: Guardians could trade injured Cy Young Award winner at MLB trade deadline Playing Kafus in his more natural position would be ideal, and the best way to do that this season would be by moving on from Santana at the deadline. Teams around baseball are looking for first basemen help, so the Guardians could find a taker for Santana. While teams could be interested in the first baseman, there's a high chance the return for the 335 home run slugger isn't a lot. But, for the 39-year-old, any return would be a positive one. The 16-year veteran has played with the Guardians for 11 years of his career, and could be looking to head to a new team at the deadline this season. He's the player Cleveland is most likely to move, and would be an expected trade at this year's deadline. While losing a fan favorite and franchise icon would sting, it'd open the door for Kayfus to make his MLB debut, while also allowing Santana to try and win his first World Series in his incredible career. MORE MLB NEWS: Tigers get positive update on availability of top trade targets Astros GM Dana Brown reveals recovery timeline for Jake Meyers amid injury Cardinals get good news on top Diamondbacks trade targets Padres' Yu Darvish on cusp of professional baseball history Tigers 'strongly interested' in pair of Twins righty relievers Cardinals announce bad Lars Nootbaar news ahead of All-Star break
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
AL Central roundtable: Taking stock of the division's contenders in a wide-open AL
By Dan Hayes, Zack Meisel and Cody Stavenhagen It's rivalry week in the surprisingly good American League Central. After splitting a pair of rain-slogged games with the Twins in Minneapolis, the Guardians open a four-game series at the Tigers on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Royals are set to face the Twins three times at Target Field starting Friday night. With four of the AL Central's five teams firmly in the playoff picture, The Athletic's Dan Hayes, Zack Meisel and Cody Stavenhagen discussed the race. Meisel: The AL Central, the motley crew of five midwest misfits has, for years, been the subject of jokes, criticism and eye rolls. Even when the Guardians, Tigers and Royals advanced to the postseason in 2024 — and each won a series — it was the White Sox and the sorriest season in league history that emerged as the top storyline to come out of the division. Advertisement But this isn't your slightly older sibling's Central. This is a group out to prove it can once again populate the AL playoff field. This is a division wreaking havoc on its counterparts… or something like that, and through an admittedly small sample of about 30 percent of the season. The White Sox are no longer the face of baseball ineptitude, thanks to the high-altitude, low-aptitude Rockies. And the other four teams? Well, if the playoffs started today, they would claim four of the six AL postseason berths. The Tigers have been a runaway train, steamrolling their way to the best record in the sport. The Guardians, Twins and Royals are mostly doing what they did last year. So as Cleveland and Detroit begin a four-game set and the Twins host the Royals for three, let's check in on the state of affairs in the powerhouse AL Central. Hayes: Rainouts aside, this is a fun division. Has anyone mentioned to you guys there have been an excessive amount of rainouts or rain delays this season? If not, I've got a PowerPoint ready to go. Stavenhagen: I remember when you guys used to do these and the Tigers were so bad that I didn't even get invited. Well, times have changed. The Tigers are off to a roaring start — and much of it looks like it could be for real. But I have questions for both of you. Zack: The Guardians have a winning record despite a minus-17 run differential. What is going on there? And Dan, for as good as the Tigers' pitching is, the Twins rank above them with a 3.20 team ERA. What's going on with the pitching staff in Minnesota? Hayes: It's all about the strikeout to walk ratio. The Twins throw more strikes than anyone and don't sacrifice command to do it. Entering Wednesday, the Twins led the majors with 3.66 strikeouts for every walk they've issued. Joe Ryan and Pablo López are having strong seasons. Bailey Ober has a 2.40 ERA over his last nine starts. Though his first two starts were poor, Chris Paddack has been solid since. And the rotation is backed by a group of relievers who also feature a lot of swing-and-miss and don't walk many. Even though they're only 18th in the league in innings pitched, Twins relievers lead all of baseball by 0.5 WAR with 3.1, according to FanGraphs. Advertisement But we knew, coming into the season, this group could be very good and would benefit from all of last year's injuries because the Twins now feature tremendous depth. What we still don't know is if the Twins can hit well enough to support the pitching. They have for about a month now. But the offense will determine how far they go. Meisel: Well, the Guardians' offense is slightly below average (96 OPS+) and the pitching is slightly below average (97 ERA+) and so that equates to a team that… inexplicably has a winning record. They're probably the most difficult team in this division to figure out, and that's coming from someone who examines their every inning. The lineup is a couple of bats short. By wRC+, the Guardians rank second-to-last in the league in production from their right fielders, third-worst from their shortstops and worst from their center fielders. The imminent return of Lane Thomas should help a bit, and David Fry's return in a couple of weeks should be a boost, but those two aren't enough to overhaul an offense that desperately needs support for José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. How familiar is the rest of the AL Central with Daniel Schneemann? He has been Cleveland's third-best hitter this season, which has, for now, earned him the starting second base job. Two and a half years ago, he was a 25-year-old at Double A with a .578 OPS. The Guardians have wasted a lot of quality starting pitching lately. Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Luis Ortiz started slow, but we're finally seeing signs the rotation could regain its customary status as the team's backbone. That's a necessary step, because at the moment, this team doesn't really have an identity. The back end of the bullpen remains a strength, but the group as a whole is a far cry from the historically dominant bunch it was last year. Advertisement Cleveland needs to find some reinforcements for its lineup. That's been the separator in Detroit, it seems. Hayes: Cody, what's been the key to Detroit's young bats finally taking the next step? Stavenhagen: Let's sort by wRC+. The Tigers entered Wednesday with Riley Greene (147), Spencer Torkelson (143) and Kerry Carpenter (132) as their leaders. I've been trying to tell people for a long time that Greene is as good as almost anyone when healthy. He was an All-Star last year and is putting it all together in a big way this season, particularly since the start of May. Carpenter crushes right-handed pitching, but that's hardly news. Torkelson has been the surprise. He was pushed to the edge of the roster this spring when the Tigers signed Gleyber Torres and intended to move Colt Keith to first base. Instead, a series of tiny adjustments have Torkelson playing more like the hitter he was drafted to be. The Tigers needed right-handed help this offseason. They got it from a player they already had on their roster. Torres, too, has given the Tigers steady at-bats and seems comfortable in Detroit after years of being both overshadowed and harshly scrutinized in New York. The Tigers also wouldn't be where they are without unexpected contributions from the likes of Zack McKinstry (130 wRC+), Javier Báez (125) and Dillon Dingler (122). I'm not sure those performances are as sustainable, but the Tigers are about to get two key players back from injuries in Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling. They've developed some high-end talent, got some pleasant surprises and also cultivated useful depth. Coming into the year, I actually thought the Royals might be the team to beat. How are we feeling about KC? Hayes: Any team featuring Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez always needs to be respected. Now, Maikel Garcia is having a breakout season and Vinnie Pasquantino really hasn't hit just yet. But one thing the Royals had all season last year was outstanding health in the starting rotation. Last week, Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans hit the injured list at the same time, something Kansas City didn't deal with at all during their impressive 2024 season. How they handle this next few weeks will be key. Any final thoughts? Stavenhagen: Another thing I said before the year: The talent levels in this division are equal enough that it might come down to who stays healthy. The Tigers are padding their lead and continue to look like they're for real. But to keep these other teams at bay, they'll need Greene and Carpenter to stay healthy and avoid any more injuries to their rotation. Advertisement Meisel: The American League as a whole feels wide open this season. There are a ton of teams buzzing around the .500 mark. There's no reason the Central can't send someone to the World Series. Of course, that's a conversation for the fall (though the weather in Minneapolis and Detroit this week sure feels like playoff weather). I'm looking forward to another four months of these four teams beating up on each other — and, of course, on the White Sox. Hayes: It is definitely strange to be speaking optimistically about the teams in this division. Should make for an interesting summer — whenever that weather arrives. Please, please, please let the weather arrive soon. (Top photo of Spencer Torkelson: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Submit your questions for Zack Meisel's Guardians mailbag
The Guardians are 22-15. Yep, they're doing it again. Like the first rule of Fight Club being that you do not talk about Fight Club, the first rule of the 2025 Guardians season is you do not, under any circumstances, try to figure out how they are 22-15. They just are, because this is what they do, even if it doesn't compute. Anyway, you probably have questions about the Guardians. Let's answer some of those. Drop them below. Just, you know, don't ask how they're 22-15. Zack Meisel
