Re: Just Baseball: Major League teams OTHER THAN the Tribe
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2025 8:03 pm
Former Guardians stars Shane Bieber, Josh Naylor, and Ernie Clement ahead of Game 7 showdown
Updated: Oct. 20, 2025, 3:09 p.m.|Published: Oct. 20, 2025, 3:08 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The defining Game 7 matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners offers plenty of drama for neutral baseball fans. For Cleveland supporters, however, it is about to deliver something else entirely – a painful glimpse at what might have been.
As the ALCS reaches its climax, former Guardians populate both dugouts in crucial roles, turning what could be an exciting elimination game into a bittersweet experience for Cleveland fans watching familiar faces chase a World Series berth in different uniforms.
“This time around, the Guardians fans will have a little bit more of a rooting interest with Shane Bieber on the mound,” noted Joe Noga, cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter, highlighting the awkward position Cleveland fans find themselves in – rooting for beloved former players they no longer get to claim as their own.
The star-studded list of ex-Guardians making an impact in the ALCS is remarkable. Shane Bieber, the former Cleveland ace who was traded mid-season, takes the mound for Toronto in a decisive Game 7. Josh Naylor, once a fan favorite for the Guardians, continued his playoff power surge for the Mariners.
“Naylor hit a home run Friday. He’s having a great series,” observed Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com’s veteran Guardians beat reporter. “And Ernie Clement just doesn’t stop hitting.”
The contributions didn’t stop there. Andrés Giménez, Myles Straw, and even former Cleveland farmhand Nathan Lukes have made their presence felt throughout the series for Toronto. Lukes, who never reached the majors with Cleveland before being traded to Tampa Bay for Brandon Guyer, has hit an impressive .343 in the ALCS.
What makes the situation particularly poignant is the collective impact these former Cleveland players have made on baseball’s biggest stage – the kind of impact Guardians fans hoped they might make while wearing Cleveland uniforms.
“Cleveland has been well represented in this ALCS,” Hoynes noted, before Noga delivered the painful follow-up: “Just not representing Cleveland. And that’s sort of the problem.”
The Shane Bieber situation exemplifies the complicated emotions. When Bieber began his injury rehabilitation earlier this season, few could have imagined he’d be starting Game 7 of the ALCS for another organization. While Cleveland received promising young pitcher Khal Stephen in return, watching Bieber potentially pitch Toronto into the World Series undoubtedly stirs mixed feelings.
For a franchise that has consistently developed elite talent only to see much of it flourish elsewhere due to financial constraints or organizational decisions, the 2025 ALCS serves as yet another reminder of baseball’s harsh economic realities. The Guardians have mastered the art of identifying and developing talent, but keeping that talent together long enough to achieve postseason glory has proven more challenging.
As Cleveland fans watch Bieber, Naylor, Clement and others chase a pennant, they can’t help but wonder: What if these players were still wearing Guardians uniforms? Could Cleveland have been the team battling in October instead of watching former stars do so for other organizations?
The question lingers uncomfortably, even as Cleveland continues its cycle of developing the next wave of talent that may someday star in someone else’s playoff run.
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