Guardians fans must prepare for bleak schedule reality after 2026 Opening Day

Death, taxes and the Cleveland Guardians starting the season on the road. 

While there are plenty of cold weather games played at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario in the first two months of the baseball calendar, the sport’s schedule makers almost always have the Guardians start the season on a West Coast swing. 

But this year’s West Coast swing is unlike any other, as the Guardians open the season with three-game series against the Mariners and Dodgers. They then welcome the Royals and Cubs to Progressive Field before jettisoning out to Atlanta for a three-game weekend series against the Braves. 

So, for those of you keeping track at home, the Guardians open the season with three of their first five series against teams that made the postseason last year along with two strong opponents in the Royals and Braves. 

The Guardians’ opening slate is a murder’s row of opponents 

While you can’t make the postseason in April, you sure can do enough to miss out on it. Just ask last year’s Atlanta Braves, who never recovered from an 0-6 start last season and missed out on the postseason. 

And there’s a solid chance that could happen to the Guardians this season given that they open the season with three games against the Mariners (who made it to the ALCS last season) and the Dodgers (who are coming off their second straight World Series title). 

Not only did the Guardians go 2-4 against the Mariners last season, but Seattle got better this offseason thanks to their trade for Brendan Donovan along with signing Josh Naylor to the long-term extension that the Guardians were never going to give him. 

Even though the Mariners still have a hole in the middle of their infield, they’re still one of the favorites to win the American League. 

But the Dodgers are on a different level. Not only did they defeat the Blue Jays in the World Series last year, but they got even better in the offseason thanks to Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz electing to sign there in free agency.

The Guardians going 1-2 in that series would be a win. 

And things don’t get much better once they get home due to them having to go against the Cubs and Royals, both of whom also upgraded their roster in the offseason. 

Even if the Guardians’ roster is a bit better than it was last year thanks to their bevy of young prospects, the Mariners and Dodgers are clearly on a different level. And the Guardians won’t have to wait long to see exactly how much of a different level they’re on.