Guardians fan survey results: How do you feel about the state of the team?

GOODYEAR, Ariz.

The Guardians have a full house in camp, with every player reporting early.

Before the action shifts from easy swings and calisthenics to intense Cactus League combat, lets review the feedback that nearly 1,500 readers left on our fan survey about the state of the franchise.

How confident are you in the Guardians direction? The Guardians reached the ALCS, but readers cited the offseason reshuffling, a history of ownership stinginess and concerns about hitting development as reasons to choose a number other than 5.

The fundamentals are encouraging, but the lack of spending and continued hoarding of prospects makes me feel like were not on a path, but rather in a cycle of consistent competitiveness that ends in retooling rather than titles.

Advertisement The ability to draft well, develop young players, and resurrect seemingly dying careers for cheap are all great, but I find it hard to believe we have a legitimate chance at winning a World Series with a payroll consistently in the bottom third of the league.

I cant be perfectly confident in the teams direction until the ownership proves they can keep up with the spending trends of the league.

This team eats cynics and critics and ss winning seasons and division titles.

How would you rate the Dolan ownership? Many responses acknowledged a track record of hiring the right people and not meddling.

(Many made reference to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam for doing the opposite.) But the majority either urged the Dolans to spend more or MLB to fix its economic landscape, or both.

I defended them forever, but the refusal to try to improve cant be defended anymore.

I also understand Be careful what you wish for.' They are not only the cheapest owners in the city but also the best owners in the city.

Give me the wins and the stability over the large free-agent contracts any day.

I would like to see a championship but spending money doesnt guarantee that.

Dolan was fit to be an owner in 2000, not 2025.

You need a war chest of cash to win in 2025.

I appreciate Dolans stability, but certainly think its time for Blitzer to take the reins.

To their credit, they hire good people and stay out of their way.

Solid ownership, except for the lack of spending.

The Dolans have owned the team the longest of any owner in the teams history, and they have kept the team in Cleveland.

Thats as much as you can ask of the morbidly rich these days.

How would you rate the Guardians front office? Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have worked in Clevelands front office since 1998 and 2003, respectively, and theyve been the teams president and GM for a decade.

They do a good job with the hand they are dealt.

Only reason its not a 5 are the Junior Caminero trade and the Myles Straw trade and extension.

Advertisement Every year they put a hyper-competitive team on the field while their boss gives them no resources to do it.

Id hire them to work for me in a heartbeat.

The Rumpelstiltskin of front offices, capable of spinning gold from straw.

A 5 for scouting and developing pitchers.

A 1 for hitters.

I think everyone knows this is the place for players, coaches, and front office personnel to grow.

Theyve had some absolutely astonishing misses that they dont get enough derision for, and those misses have seriously hurt the franchise.

Antonetti and Chernoff have made mistakes as anybody would, but I cant think of many groups that have done more with less.

How would you rate Stephen Vogts performance as manager? Following a decade in the majors and one year as a bullpen coach, Vogt took over for a future Hall of Famer after just one year and steered the Guardians to 92 wins and the ALCS.

If theres a criticism readers levied, its some of his October decision-making, but the results here reflect why he won AL Manager of the Year.

ALCS with this ownership and that roster in his first year? Cmon.

Who doesnt admire that? I maybe question the way he played the bullpen in the playoffs a bit, but I also did that with Tito so what do I know? Better than I imagined.

Hes going to be great for a long time.

I believe in Stephen Vogt.

Hes all the best of Tito with a new-age twist.

I hope he is our manager for the next two decades.

He will stumble, everyone does.

But thats the guy I want at the helm.

We saw him learning how to handle those on-the-fly (decisions) in the playoffs last year.

Im confident that the lessons learned in those games will only improve his ability to lead these young men moving forward.

His inexplicable failure to intentionally walk batters in the ALCS is the only blemish on an otherwise capable rookie campaign.

Advertisement Maybe my favorite moment last year was his lone ejection.

It wasnt rage for the sake of rage, it was fighting for his players who (rightfully so) thought they were being umpd poorly.

Vogt understands the game but more than that, he understands the grind.

Its a long season and he kept composure throughout his entire rookie campaign.

Its a weight lifted off a fans shoulders knowing weve got our guy.

What is your lasting feeling from the 2024 season? The Guardians entered 2024 with low external expectations and a new regime and wound up sticking in first place for nearly the entire season.

That made their journey easy for fans to appreciate, and the run to the ALCS only added to it.

Honeymoon periods are fleeting, though, so itll be difficult to recreate that in 2025.

The ALCS was great, and the season was a blast.

We overachieved massively.

But dont you think 70+ years is a bit too long without a World Series title? The most fun Ive had watching Cleveland baseball since 2017 was last year.

What a ride, down to being in person for the last pitch on Oct.

19.

Have to enjoy the journey, even if it didnt end in a championship.

Anyone saying they expected an ALCS is lying to you.

That was fun from start to finish.

I know they couldnt beat the Yankees, and the Dodgers would have stomped them.

But that season was pure magic from the jump.

Loved it, but I hate the Yankees.

Any other team I could probably accept as a joy ride, but we need to figure out how to beat those guys.

The playoff highlights still bring me chills.

What letter grade would you give the Guardians offseason? It was an unusual winter for a team that was on the doorstep of the World Series.

They dealt Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor, re-signed Shane Bieber and Austin Hedges and signed Carlos Santana, Paul Sewald and Jakob Junis.

They made some opportunistic moves (like picking up Luis Ortiz and unloading Myles Straw) and some head-scratchers, which probably explains why many fans landed in the middle.

Advertisement Meh.

If I hear the words financial flexibility one more time my eyes will roll so far into the back of my head that they will go back to where they started.

They knew they needed pitching, and they got it in the unconventional Guardians fashion, while dumping salary.

Im all for getting out from Andres Gimenezs contract, and adding pitching in this obscenely expensive environment is laudable.

But there were opportunities to improve the offense that we did not make.

And why they have not signed Steven Kwan to an extension is beyond me.

How would you compare the talent level of the current Guardians roster to the talent level at the end of 2024? Who is your favorite Guardians player, aside from Jose Ramirez? We excluded Ramirez because we figured he would run away with the voting.

Perhaps we shouldve excluded Kwan, too.

The recently departed Gimenez and Josh Naylor received a handful of write-in votes.

Tom Hamilton.

Who cares? Youre just picking a new one in five years.

Picking a favorite player is like picking a favorite child: You could do it, but really shouldnt.

Will Jose Ramirez eventually be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame? His resume is on the right track, especially since he showed no seasons of decline during his age-31 season.

GO DEEPER After another standout season, is Jose Ramirez destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame? Where will the Guardians finish in the AL Central in 2025? (Sorry, White Sox, youre stuck in the basement) The Guardians, Tigers, Royals and Twins are all clustered together in the betting markets.

Projection systems tend to favor the Twins, with the other three clubs close behind.

What is your excitement level for the upcoming season? Hope springs eternal when players report to camp in the best shape of their lives.

Which Guardians prospect excites you most? Daniel Espino received one write-in vote, though the reader said, Im sick and I need help! Espino, who has not pitched in a game since April 2022, is rehabbing from shoulder surgery.

Which position player do you think is most likely to have a breakout season in 2025? The Guardians could surely use, oh, 25 homers and 30 doubles from the mustached masher.

Which pitcher do you think is most likely to have a breakout season in 2025? After a rough first few outings, Cantillo thrived last September.

Hes one member of a deep cast of starters aiming to crack the rotation.

Who should be the Guardians second baseman in 2025? Theres an open competition to replace Gimenez.

Brito might have the best bat of the bunch.

How do you feel about the Progressive Field experience? A really good space that has built its own vibe on its own history and morphs a little bit every now and then but maintains its core character.

As a dad, I wish they would improve the kids areas.

Baseball does a terrible job of appealing to the next generation.

I think its one of the best ballparks in baseball and I am excited to see the finished renovations.

I wish they had left more seats though, it is starting to feel a bit small.

Advertisement Now that baseball has lost Oakland and its feral cats and possum, I feel like its up to Cleveland to bring back the gulls and midges.

Seriously, some of the best eating options in baseball.

I dont go to games to mingle at the bar, I have bars for that.

It is all about the on-field product.

Restaurants need to be closer to the stadium, like the Cardinals have.

Setup a stadium district, with a miniature field outside the stadium.

How do you feel about the ballpark renovations? Three things Clevelanders will forever despise: Art Modell, Kelly Olynyk and, based on feedback to this question, the Progressive Field shipping containers (which were removed as part of the teams renovation project).

Playing an entire season with a tarp covering a partially-demod portion of the stadium mightve been the most Ohio thing this team has ever done.

I love the idea of making Progressive Field into Dodger Stadium.

Renovate often, and turn it into a nostalgic gem that meets todays needs.

Excited to see the result.

Just removing the shipping containers was a major improvement.

Its important to keep the park relevant and to not let it fall into disarray.

How do you feel about the decision to cancel Guards Fest until 2027 and make it a once-every-three-years event? I do feel sorry for the younger fans that will miss out on that annual experience.

This was a huge miss.

We looked forward to this every year and always had a blast.

Hopefully they change their minds and bring it back ASAP.

This was the first year my son would have been able to go and appreciate the experience.

He is 6 and if he had any experience with literally any Guardian he would have a new favorite player.

It just seems like such a missed opportunity.

You go to the ALCS....

your attendance is booming...

and you cancel an opportunity to connect with the fans?? Advertisement Idiotic.

Asinine.

Cheap.

That plus the (male cow excrement) about it being the fans who asked to make it every three years.

Dont lie to us.

I have kids Id like to raise as baseball fans and then you pull this.

Dont cry about attendance in a few years when you drive away future fans.

Guards Fest helped my kids grow a deeper love of the game and fandom for the Guardians by seeing their heroes up close.

We still talk about our time at the 24 event like it was last month.

A successful 2025 Guardians season would be ...

Im ready for the World Series.

Who isnt? But nobody should but upset with a healthy playoff run.

Our competitive window is just starting to open.

Believe it.

Ill be 74 soon and cannot live much longer.

Id love to shoot for the stars but Ive got to be realistic.

I was born in 1948.

You get the implication.

Can we get just one World Series before I go? My dad just turned 67.

We were at Game 5 of the ALCS.

After the final out, he looked at me and said, Well, at least we got to see the Cavs win one.

My dad and I love this team, and weve been through some great postseason runs, but its this scary feeling that were running out of time to see the Guardians win a World Series and share that experience with each other.

I know Im not the only fan that feels this way.

Will the Guardians win a World Series in the next 10 years? Describe your feelings about the state of the team in a sentence or two.

Last years team was fun to watch, partly because we won so much but partly because it was full of young, hungry guys that loved playing together.

I hope the trades did not kill the vibes, and this year is more of the same.

Baseball has to find a way for a small market team, with great management, to be able to truly compete with teams like the Yankees and Dodgers.

Advertisement I desperately want a World Series for this team.

But I will be very happy year after year if they can maintain relevance and continue to compete with an occasional run in the playoffs.

Who knows, maybe one year all the stars will align.

Watching Cleveland baseball is the thing that gets me through the year, an oasis amidst the chaos of life.

The fans love to gripe (and sometimes theres validity to that), but the ballclub has been competitive almost the entirety of my 35 years in existence.

That matters.

A lot.

But still: please let my dad see (a World Series win), just one! (Photo of Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.