1. Dodgers
Total points: 284
First-place votes: 19
2. Rays
Total points: 258
First-place votes: 12
3. Braves
Total points: 130
First-place votes: 3
4. Guardians
Total points: 101
First-place votes: 2
At the top, there is stability. Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations, has worked for Cleveland since 1999. General manager Mike Chernoff joined as an intern in 2003. The list of prominent executives to spend time in Cleveland in the interim is impressive, a group that includes Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins, David Stearns of the New York Mets and Carter Hawkins of the Chicago Cubs.
The Guardians face a set of challenges. Owner Paul Dolan tends not to spend much. The team has drawn more than two million fans to Progressive Field just once since 2009. Cleveland is not exactly a bustling coastal metropolis (though there are many excellent restaurants near the ballpark). “Just look at the market they’re in,” one executive said. “And look at what they’ve done over the last 15 years, how much they’ve won. It’s pretty remarkable.”
Cleveland’s primary baseball product has been pitchers, a lineage stretching from Corey Kluber to Shane Bieber to Emmanuel Clase. The front office tends to target arms with upside in trades and maximize them at the big-league level.
“They know what they’re good at, and they’re very consistent at being who they are,” one executive said.
5. Orioles
Total points: 91
First-place votes: 3
6. Brewers
Total points: 52
First-place votes: 0
7. Diamondbacks
Total points: 43
First-place votes: 1
8. (tie) Twins
Total points: 20
First-place votes: 0
8. (tie) Rangers)
Total points: 20
First-place votes: 0
10. Yankees
Total points: 19
First-place votes: 0