AL Central-filled week could determine the fate of the Cleveland Guardians in 2025

This week is shaping up to be a very important one for the Cleveland Guardians. With a 25-21 record on the year and now residing in third place in the American League Central divison, the Guardians will square off with the two teams ahead of them in the standings. How things play out over the next seven games could very well determine the fate of this team and whether or not this summer will be one filled with fun, competitive baseball or if this team is heading toward a midseason sell-off.

First up for the Cleveland Guardians, the Minnesota Twins

A trip to Target Field in Minnesota to take on the Twins is how the Guardians will begin this very important week. Surprisingly, the Twins have leapfrogged the Guardians in the AL Central, holding a slight half of a game advantage over Cleveland at this time.

Minnesota may have won 13 of their last 14 games, but if there is a team due for regression, it is the Twins. Two of their most injury-prone players (Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton) are currently on the injured list, and it would not be a shocking development to see them go on a similar streak they are coming off of, just in the complete opposite direction, being losers of 13 of 14.

Cleveland has faced Minnesota earlier this season, taking three of four from the Twins in late April. Clearly, the Guardians can hold their own against Minnesota and should be able to once again over the next three days. If they are not able to and somehow lose two or more to one of the most overrated AL Central teams over the past several years, it could be curtains for this Guardians team before they even begin their next series.

Four games in Detroit to possibly shake up the AL Central follow

If things go according to plan against the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Guardians should have overtaken them for second place in the AL Central, setting up a showdown with the Detroit Tigers and their surprising 31-16 record. Cleveland should have a chance to close the gap between themselves and the Tigers, giving them an opportunity to shrink Detroit's current 5 game lead over second-place Minnesota.

This four-game series between Cleveland and Detroit will be the first time this season these two ballclubs face each other, with their last meeting being in the 2024 postseason. A series that saw the Guardians advance in five games to the ALCS to take on the New York Yankees. Detroit will be looking to avenge that series loss, while the Guardians are hoping to prove that their current records of both teams are not an accurate indicator of each team's respective talent level.

By the end of this series, there should be an answer to a very important question regarding the status of the AL Central at this time. Are the Guardians underperforming while the Tigers are overperforming, or has Detroit truly overtaken Cleveland as the best team in the division?

Guardians must come out the other side with a winning record against their AL Central foes

It may only be May 19th, but it really feels like the season is sort of on the line for the Cleveland Guardians. This seven-game stretch can easily cement this team's status as a genuine contender that should be looking to buy as the trade deadline approaches. It could also prove that this team is nothing more than an also-ran who would be better off parting ways with the very few trade pieces they have on their major league roster.

The Guardians just seem to have this sort of fragility to their roster as currently constructed. There are too many areas on the roster that this team has won in spite of rather than because of, and that is usually an indicator of a team that will eventually fizzle out in the coming weeks instead of seeing their winning ways continue. How they fare against Minnesota and Detroit this week will be very telling, and hopefully, the Guardians shake off whatever current funk they are currently in and show the Twins and Tigers that they are not going to go away quietly.