Recap: How the front office rating works

This is one in a series of assessments of the performances of front offices for the 2024 season. Each front office is given a score based on the total Wins Above Average of the players they either traded for, signed via free agency or extension, or promoted from their farm system, since the conclusion of the 2023 post-season. 

A front office’s score also includes the total Wins Above Average of players traded away or lost to free agency since the end of the 2023 post-season. The front offices are being presented in order of their total value from No. 30 (worst) all the way to No. 1 (best).

These ratings do not necessarily reflect the final standings. Front offices are measured based only on the talent they acquired or lost during the past 12 months. Players on multi-year contracts, or already under team control, don’t count toward this rating.

25. Cleveland Guardians: Chris Antonetti, President of Baseball Operations; Michael Chernoff, General Manager, -5.6.

The Guardians won 92 games this past season, doing so despite occasional front office interference, particularly on the pitching staff.

Seeking to improve on a lackluster 76-86 2023 season, the veteran team of Antonetti and Chernoff— who have been running things in Cleveland nearly a decade—identified the starting rotation as the area most in need of support for new manager Stephen Vogt.

They were right about the problem, but wrong about the methodology in solving it.

One of the first things Antonetti and Chernoff did last offseason was allow Reynaldo Lopez to walk in free agency. Lopez, after all, had been a lightly used afterthought in Cleveland’s bullpen, making just a dozen 2023 appearances covering 11 innings.

The Atlanta Braves saw in Lopez what the Guardians’ front office failed to recognize: a front-rank starter. Lopez put together a 1.99 ERA for the Braves in 25 starts, good for +3.9 WAA.

The Guardians, who got 25 starts from only two of the 14 pitchers who took the bump to open games for them this past season, could have used Lopez’ consistency, particularly in their ALCS showdown with New York.

Having axed Lopez, the Guardians proceeded to flesh out their roster by bringing back Carlos Carrasco, a former Clevelander most recently toiling with the Mets. In 21 starts, Carrasco went 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA and -2.1 WAA.

That functional swap—Carrasco for Lopez—cost the Guardians six games by itself, according to WAA.

Five most impactful Antonetti-Chernoff moves in 2023-24

How, then, did Cleveland manage to win 92 games and the division? It’s a good question with only a partial answer.

Part of that answer lies in the fact that four of the Guardians’ most productive players in 2024—Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Andres Gimenez and Emmanuel Clase—all were playing on contracts signed prior to the end of the 2023 season, meaning their data does not impact the 2024 Antonetti-Chernoff rating.

It’s also worth considering the team’s commitment to a bullpen-first strategy. While relievers are notoriously unreliable, and Cleveland’s commitment to them bit the Guardians badly in the postseason, it worked well for the long in-season grind. Three rookie-status system arms—Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin—combined to produce 216 innings in support of Clase, all with sub-2.00 ERAs and solid WAAs.

Naturally, even dominant relievers affect wins above average less than an everyday position player or starting pitcher, as they just aren’t in games long enough to truly swing outcomes in tangible ways.

The Guardians also played two games above their 90-72 Pythagorean record. Beyond that, though, there isn’t a perfect explanation for the season the Guardians had. Sometimes baseball doesn’t lend itself to exact quantifiability.

For the most part, Antonetti and Chernoff played the hand they had been dealt prior to 2024. Their personnel moves only affected 42 major leaguers—a relatively modest number—and split right down the middle, half positive, half negative.

Previous Rankings

27. Chicago White Sox, Chris Getz, -10.2

26. Oakland Athletics, David Forst, -6.8

25. Cleveland Guardians, Chis Antonetti and Michael Chernoff, -5.6

Next: 24. Detroit Tigers, Scott Harris, -5.3

More From Call To The Pen:

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Cleveland residents can look forward to a brief warm-up at the start of the week, but the reprieve from November’s usual chill will be short-lived as rain and cooler conditions return midweek.

According to the National Weather Service, Sunday will remain mostly cloudy, with a high near 47°F and a southwest wind of 9-11 mph. Overnight, temperatures will dip to 38°F under continued cloud cover.

Monday will bring the week’s warmest day, with highs reaching 55°F. However, showers are likely to begin after 1 p.m., and breezy conditions are expected as south winds increase to 18-21 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Monday night will remain rainy, with lows around 40°F and an 80% chance of precipitation.

Tuesday will see a cooler high of 46°F and a slight chance of lingering morning showers, though skies will remain mostly cloudy. Overnight lows will drop to 33°F under partly cloudy skies.

Wednesday’s forecast features a high near 43°F with mostly cloudy conditions. Rain will likely develop after 1 a.m. into Thanksgiving Day, with lows around 35°F. On Thanksgiving, Cleveland can expect a high of 45°F with showers likely throughout the day, making for a wet holiday.

Rain showers could continue into Thursday night, transitioning into snow as temperatures drop to near freezing. Friday and Saturday will see highs in the upper 30s, with a mix of rain and snow showers possible, along with breezy conditions.

Clevelanders should prepare for fluctuating weather this week, with rain gear needed for Thanksgiving festivities. Stay updated on changes to the forecast as the holiday approaches.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio high school football scores from the fourth week of the OHSAA playoffs, as provided by The Associated Press.

Regional Finals

Division I

Region 1=

St. Edward 13, Mentor 7

Region 2=

Centerville 23, Huber Hts. Wayne 14

Region 3=

Powell Olentangy Liberty 21, Pickerington N. 9

Region 4=

Cin. Moeller 28, St. Xavier (OH) 23

Division II

Region 5=

Akr. Hoban 21, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 7

Region 6=

Avon 28, Medina Highland 20

Region 7=

Sunbury Big Walnut 14, Massillon Washington 7

Region 8=

Cin. Anderson 28, Cin. La Salle 21

Division III

Region 9=

Youngs. Ursuline 54, Gates Mills Gilmour 0

Region 10=

Tol. Cent. Cath. 45, Parma Padua 7

Region 11=

Bishop Watterson 37, Steubenville 7

Region 12=

London 13, Bellbrook 0

Division IV

Region 13=

Cle. Glenville 12, Perry 6, OT

Region 14=

Sandusky Perkins 28, Ontario 21

Region 15=

Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 48, St Clairsville 7

Region 16=

Cin. Taft 26, Kettering Alter 12

Division V

Region 17=

Canfield S. Range 17, Poland Seminary 16

Region 18=

Liberty Center 34, Milan Edison 6

Region 19=

Ironton 55, Wheelersburg 0

Region 20=

W. Liberty-Salem 21, Lewistown Indian Lake 14

Division VI

Region 21=

Kirtland 41, Dalton 6

Region 22=

Bluffton 24, Hamler Patrick Henry 7

Region 23=

Galion Northmor 37, Cols. Grandview Hts. 6

Region 24=

Coldwater 45, Anna 21

Division VII

Region 25=

Jeromesville Hillsdale 44, Cuyahoga Hts. 14

Region 26=

Columbus Grove 14, Delphos St John’s 0

Region 27=

Danville 40, Beaver Eastern 6

Region 28=

Maria Stein Marion Local 21, Minster 7