Chris Antonetti of the Cleveland Guardians takes on his biggest challenge ever

By now Chris Antonetti knows the drill. Now in his 23^rd year with the Cleveland Guardians, the last seven as President of Baseball Operations, and the first five as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Antonetti has been around the baseball block in Cleveland on both good and bad times.

These times? These are neither good nor bad.

These are difficult times.

Being the primary baseball decision maker for a major league team in financial trouble during a pandemic is no fun idea for anyone. But Mr. Roll with the Punches of the Guardians has never encountered a scenario that he could not overcome.

As Cleveland baseball fans continue to seethe over a lack of activity from the hometown team, which had the lowest payroll in baseball last year and, not surprisingly, its first lost season in nine years. , the imperturbable Antonetti still sees the glass as half full.

“We are in a financial position right now to add for 2022. So that’s not a limiting factor for us right now,” he said.

Maybe not, but it’s a disturbing factor for Guardians fans and others around baseball who interpret Cleveland’s off-season as an admission that the team is either unable or unwilling to compete.

“I probably shouldn’t be in the chair I’m in if I am too sensitive to criticism,” said seasoned squad player Antonetti. “I guess if I asked you what our payroll was in 2016, nobody would care. What they remember is that we played in Race 7 of the World Series. Our goal is to understand how to win the last game. “

Antonetti’s perception throughout the game is that he is a patient, consistent and highly intelligent executive who has had the opportunity to pursue positions with other looser spending teams, but chooses to stay with the financially conservative Guardians, under owner Paul Dolan .

Indeed, it is Dolan, not Antonetti, who is the target of the fan backlash for the Guardians’ inability to improve the squad either through exchanges or free agent signings.

The biggest news the Guardians made over the winter was the addition of 11 minor league players to their 40-man major league roster.

“We explored a number of things in our open agency and negotiation approach, but we weren’t going to make a transaction just to make a transaction,” said Antonetti. “We didn’t want to put obstacles in front of some of our young players who we feel will be able to contribute this year.”

Skeptics would translate it to: “We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on proven major league players, even if they helped improve the team.” Such is life as the primary baseball decision maker for a financially challenged major league team.

Antonetti and Guardians manager Terry Francona are both considered to be at the top or near the top of their field. Where others of their kind may be inclined to pursue positions with other more financially ambitious teams, the Guardians’ two most prominent non-players remain comfortably settled in a work environment that both of them regularly praise.

“Each market has its own challenges,” said Antonetti. “Our task is to understand how to overcome these challenges”.

Cleveland has an exceptional launch staff, starting with a rotation led by former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, plus Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie and a first neighbor in Emmanuel Clase.

But the pitchers don’t hit, and the Guardian hitters didn’t hit last year. At one point Cleveland was not hit by opposing pitchers twice in the span of 16 games. Most of the same battering group are back this year, which isn’t exactly a good thing.

According to Antonetti, the Indians chased a group of targeted players. “But most of the time it didn’t end there,” he said. “At that level I can be disappointed. But that doesn’t take away from the enthusiasm we have for the group of players we have. There have been times in the past when we didn’t have those options to turn to internally, and therefore our network was a little bit wider and we would have taken almost anyone to fill a seat. We do not feel at that point. “

Where are the Guardians at this point is a dominant throwing team with an offensive formation. If Francona can smoke and mirror the contest at the end of the rally, the ball will be in Dolan’s court if she funds the search for a position player that makes a difference.

Antonetti said: “I can’t think of a time when, when we were in a competitive position at the end of the trade, if there was an option for us to improve the team, finances were not an obstacle.” .

Can Cleveland reach commercial deadline still in contention?

“We are counting on some young people. We need the kids to take advantage of the opportunity they have in front of them, “said Antonetti.” To the extent that they are able to do so, it could be an exciting year. “