The MLB off-season is in full swing, and when the calendar flips to December, it’s time for the Cleveland Guardians to hibernate until they load the equipment truck in early February to head to Goodyear, Arizona, for spring training.
Cleveland hardly makes big-time free-agent moves, so it’s not a shock to anyone they will be sitting out again this free agency, but what they did to their fans on Monday is just up there with one of the worst things this franchise has ever done.
The Cleveland Guardians hold a fanfest every off-season about a month before players head to spring training. Fans get to hang out with the players, get autographs, play baseball with them, dance with the mascots, and do all sorts of cool things. However, they will have to wait for the excitement again until winter 2027.
While fans were preparing to meet their favorite Guardians player in about a month, the organization had other plans, and a statement was released by the team on Monday that read, “The Cleveland Guardians today announced Guards Fest will move to a Tri-Annual event, with the next targeted Fan Fest occurring following the 2026 season.
After conducting fan outreach from the past several events, shifting to every three years allows us to ensure the best experience and event for all fans.”
The move to cancel Guards Fest was nothing more than trying to save a couple of bucks. This has been the theme since the Dolans bought the team back in the early 2000s, and this time, it just feels like a total slap in the face to fans.
These are the same fans who support an organization willing to spend zero money to improve the ball club. They choose to spend their hard-earned money, knowing it will never go toward signing a player like Juan Soto.
Cleveland went on an incredible run last season, going to the ALCS, and fans had Progressive Field packed many nights. Their attendance was one of the best in the last twenty years, and the first thing you do to reward them is take away Guards Fest, which takes a few hours of anyone’s time.
It’s ridiculous that every time you think the Guardians are done doing something to hurt their fans, they find another way to screw up, but that’s what happens when you’re dealing with a cheap owner who is unwilling to spend any money.
New York Mets fans are running around Queens because their team gave a Top-Five baseball player $765 million. Still, Guardian fans are walking around Cleveland upset because their owner took away one of the best things on their calendar: meeting their favorite players and spending time with them.
If the organization wants to cancel Guards Fest, then go ahead; nobody can stop them, but lying about saying that after doing fan outreach the past serval years gave them the conclusion that moving the event every three seasons will be better off is just not true.
Nobody is buying that fans told anyone in the Cleveland Guardians organization that they don’t want to see their favorite players yearly. Instead, they would see them only every three years like it’s the solar eclipse.
Things need to change around the Guardians’ ownership because fans can only hold on to being treated so poorly for much longer. Why are you taking away an opportunity for people to spend time around some of the best baseball players in the world who, unlike their owner, at least show heart and passion and want to be Cleveland Guardians?
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