Antonetti talks all things Dolan's legacy, upcoming Guardians season

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- With the second week of Spring Training in full swing, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti met with the media on Tuesday morning in Goodyear. The 2022 MLB Executive of the Year and two-time Sporting News Executive of the Year covered a wide range of topics that included Larry Dolan¡¯s legacy, adding pitching depth in the offseason, how contract extension talks are going during camp and plenty more.

Dolan, a native Clevelander who bought the team in 2000 and turned the franchise into a consistent winner, including capturing the 2016 AL pennant, died Sunday night at the age of 94.

¡°Both as a leader and an executive, I had the privilege of knowing Larry for over 25 years,¡± Antonetti said. ¡°He was someone that was not only a kind and humble leader who cared deeply about the organization, but was incredibly proud of his Cleveland roots and his stewardship of the Cleveland Indians and Guardians organization.¡±

When asked what special moments Dolan appreciated the most during his ownership, Antonetti didn¡¯t hesitate.

¡°The one that stands out for me is 2016 when we won the ALCS to advance to the World Series, and the moment that he and [owner/chairman/CEO and his son] Paul shared together on that stage, knowing that we had the opportunity to again try and win that World Series that he coveted so much,¡± Antonetti said. ¡°It was one of those moments that I know stood out.¡±

Antonetti added that the franchise is exploring ways to honor Dolan during the 2025 season.

Dolan, he said, related to his players like ¡°a father figure,¡± but tended to have a warm spot in his heart for one particular position on the field.

¡°He was always particularly interested in catching, because that was his background," Antonetti said. "So he would talk to Sandy Alomar about the nuances of catching. I remember he had an affinity for Einar D¨ªaz when he was here [from 1996-2002]. He¡¯d talk with Einar a lot about the art of catching.¡±

Antonetti also talked about other aspects of the upcoming season, including the drive to add pitching depth during the offseason. The club signed right-handers Slade Cecconi and Paul Sewald in December and January, respectively, and brought back 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner and two-time All-Star Shane Bieber, who was a free agent.

¡°It¡¯s been an encouraging start based upon what we¡¯ve seen in some of the live [batting practices] and some of the early game action, but there¡¯s a long way to go,¡± Antonetti said of the staff. ¡°We feel we¡¯ve improved on the options that we had and feel good about the depth, but we¡¯ll be excited to see how it plays out over the course of the next month.¡±

Another topic during camp has been the implementation of the ABS challenge system, allowing a hitter, batter or catcher the opportunity to challenge ball-strike calls. The system has been tested in the Minors and made its way to further testing during Spring Training, but won¡¯t be in place for the 2025 regular season at the MLB level.

¡°It¡¯s relatively seamless; it happens very quickly, it¡¯s not an ever-present part of the game," Antonetti said. "But on some of those borderline pitches, you can see the way it¡¯s used. I continue to be intrigued about its possibilities."

Spring Training is typically the time each year that each team¡¯s front office will engage in talks with players about contract extensions -- at least until Cleveland's regular season opens on March 27 in Kansas City.

¡°We think it¡¯s most productive to not get into any of those specifics,¡± Antonetti said. ¡°It¡¯s just really not constructive to any of those dynamics that we might have with various players or their representatives. We¡¯ll continue to stay away from any specifics.¡±

Antonetti also touched on the franchise's philosophy for how deep into games starting pitchers can typically go. The club was one of 12 MLB teams last season without a complete game. Another 12 clubs posted just one complete game.

¡°What we¡¯re trying to do is figure out a way to win as many games over the course of the season with the personnel that we have," Antonetti said. "And there are some years where, depending upon our starter mix, that might be a group that¡¯s capable of going deeper into games -- and that¡¯s the way where we can be most successful.

¡°In other years, like last year, where we may not have had that same group of starting pitchers that were capable of doing that, we had to adjust. So, we try not to have any hard and fast rules about exactly what that looks like.¡±