Antonetti, Chernoff meet with frustrated players after Deadline

HOUSTON -- Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff knew they needed to be at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday.

A trio of players who had played prominent roles in the clubhouse, even if some of their performances on the field had been subpar, were dealt to new teams. In return, the Guardians added just Noah Syndergaard to the Major League roster and didn't acquire any bats to impact the lineup. The front office chose to plan for the future, but in doing so, some of the players in the clubhouse were left frustrated. Getting no-hit by Framber Valdez on Tuesday before the Guardians’ 3-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday just added salt to the wound.

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It’s always preferable for Antonetti and Chernoff to be with their team, delivering trade news alongside manager Terry Francona in his office instead of over a phone call. But because they opted to be with the rest of their front office back in Cleveland, working on these deals, it made it impossible for them to be in Houston with the team.

“It’s a really hard balance,” Antonetti said prior to the game. “In an ideal world, we would’ve been able to be here yesterday. But practically, it just wasn’t possible. That’s why we’re here this morning.”

If they couldn’t be there on Monday or Tuesday, Antonetti and Chernoff knew that they needed to at least be present on Wednesday to be available to talk with their team. Baseball is a business and players understand that, but that doesn’t mean that decisions made by the front office never trickle into gameplay. The Cleveland executives made a trip to Houston because they wanted to make sure they did what they could to prevent that.

“We’re always cognizant of [the message our moves send to the clubhouse] any time, especially around this time of the year,” Antonetti said. “Any moves with players coming and going can potentially be disruptive. So, what we try to do is stay connected with [Francona], the coaches, the clubhouse as much as we can and if we do make moves, be around to talk with people about it, whether that’s players or coaches or staff just to talk through it.”

There were multiple reasons the players could’ve been frustrated. They watched Aaron Civale, who was one of the hottest starters in the Majors in July, get traded to Tampa Bay. And while the return they received should help the team in 2024, it is not expected to help this season.

The Guardians are preparing to tackle one of the hardest schedules in the AL over the last two months of the season with the division title still within reach. But because no moves were made to help their current situation, Antonetti and Chernoff opened their doors to have one-on-one conversations with anyone who wanted to chat.

Their message was simple: They still believe in this clubhouse, but sometimes, you need to focus on the future.

“The reality is that we sometimes have to make judgments and make decisions that may not be immediately obvious, but are aligned in all the same things, which is: 'How do we find a way to win a World Series?'” Antonetti said. “Sometimes, we make decisions that aren’t easy. In fact, if you just look at the composition of our team right now, a lot of those guys are here because of some difficult decisions we’ve made in the past. And for us to be a successful organization, sometimes we have to make those difficult decisions.”

Now, it’s time for the Guardians to put the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror. Whether the moves played a role in the lackluster offense at Minute Maid Park will never truly be known, but if the team wants to prove it still can be competitive and there is a reason to believe this roster can make noise in 2023, the Guardians will have to start with winning games within the AL Central. That test will start over the weekend against the White Sox at Progressive Field.

“We have no control over what’s happened the past week,” said Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who tossed five innings of two-run ball Wednesday. “I think the only thing we can really do is put our head down [and] play some good baseball. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

And even though the front office used the Deadline to solely focus on the future, it’s not completely overlooking ‘23 just yet.

“I think we continue to believe in the group that’s here,” Antonetti said. “Because I think we continue to have the ability in the clubhouse to play quality baseball in the second half of the season.”