Questionable decisions leave Guardians at a low point

Cleveland baseball has been worse than this.The franchise has even had worse offenses than this.It's important to point that out, because as hard as it has been to watch the Guardians during their 10-game losing streak, things have, in fact, been bleaker than they are now.There was a time, between the years of 1955 and 1995, that the only title the then-Indians won was on the silver screen.Outsiders would watch the 1989 film "Major League" and wonder why we would tear up when Wesley Snipes slid safely into home plate during the film's climax.Frankly, for four decades, it was just about all Cleveland baseball fans had.Thankfully, the last 30 years of Cleveland baseball have been much better. While a World Series championship has continued to elude the team, it has won three pennants in the last 30 years, and made six postseason appearances in the last decade.Just last year, Cleveland advanced to the American League Championship Series, and were three wins from the World Series.The Guardians front office has been in place for years, and it has rightfully been lauded for usually putting a winning product on the field despite a low payroll.OK, is that enough? Can I complain now?The 2025 Guardians are hard to watch.It's not so much that they are a bad team (though for the last month, they have been). It's that they are flat out boring.Before the season started, I wrote a column that laid out some concerns about how Cleveland approached its offseason.Cleveland traded Josh Naylor, who hit 30 homers and drove in more than 100 runs last year. It dealt slick fielding second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto and let Matthew Boyd – a solid starting pitcher – walk in free agency.Each trade – on its own – made some sense. Naylor was going to be a free agent, and the Guards had prospect Kyle Manzardo waiting in the wings, ready to take over first base. Gimenez, as brilliant as he is defensively, hasn't hit a lick in three years, and the franchise has second baseman Travis Bazzana, the top pick in last year's draft, in its system.Boyd is a good pitcher, but generally, pitching hasn't been a problem for this organization.And yet, there was a real issue.After a year of success and momentum, the Guardians' offseason was about subtraction.Cleveland did sign Carlos Santana, a move that really didn't make sense. Every Guardians fan has affection for Santana, who came up with Cleveland and has hit more than 300 homers in his career.But Santana is 39 years old, and his primary function so far this season has been taking at-bats from Manzardo.Second base has been filled with Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martinez. While Schneeman has had his moments, the overall production has made me long for the days of Jerry Browne and Paul Zuvella.Then there's Boyd, an all-star pitcher with the Cubs this year, whose departure wouldn't sting so much if Luis Ortiz (one of the front office's pitching acquisitions) wasn't on leave due to a gambling investigation.As of this writing, the Guardians are 40-48. Hopefully, Sunday was the low point of the season. Cleveland coughed up a 1-0 ninth inning lead against Detroit, then allowed six runs in the 10th inningBy the end, you could hear Detroit fans – just about the only ones left at Progressive Field – chanting "Let's Go Tigers!"It's always upsetting when fans of another team come into your stadium and make the most noise.Not that I blame Detroit fans. Cleveland beat the Tigers in the playoffs last year, and the Tigers front office responded by making moves to make its team better.The Tigers are coasting to a division title.Cleveland is just hoping this losing streak stops soon.It's difficult to excuse this season if you're a Guardians fan.I keep hoping – desperately hoping – that they can win a World Series, and reward the crowds who have been loyal and patient for so many decades.But in a season like this, one begins to wonder if hope doubles as this franchise's strategy.It's been worse.But it should be better. Zach Baker is the sports editor for The Courier and Review Times.