4 Guardians players the fans have lost patience with and rightfully so

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The Cleveland Guardians have been a disappointment so far, as they currently sit in third place of a lackluster American League Central. Contributing to the struggles and overall down feeling about this team are four players in particular that the fans have lost patience with. Perhaps the Guardians make some moves to clear room for their prospects to have a path towards meaningful playing time, but until then they are here only to create more frustration to an underwhelming Guardians team.

1. Mike Zunino

The thought process behind signing Mike Zunino in the offseason is that the Guardians were willing to swap skillsets at the catcher position. Trading prowess behind the plate for production at it, this signing has failed and now Cleveland has neither. Zunino was supposed to provide a power boost to a Guardians lineup that needed it. Instead, Zunino has played like one of the worst catchers in the sport and is currently a detriment to everyone in the lineup. Even though the current alternative in Cam Gallagher is also not producting at the plate, the pitching staff looks so much more comfortable with him rather than Zunino behind the plate. While underwhelming offensively, that helps bring the team closer to where they were last year and that matters.

2. Amed Rosario

There is a world where Amed Rosario is starting shorstop, unfortunately that world is not Cleveland. Rosario is someone that would be great on a team completely lacking talent, serving as a floor raiser and veteran to a team full of youngsters or on a team filled with stars where it matters less when he does not deliver. Unfortunately, the Guardians are smack dab in the middle of those two groups and that makes it hard to justify Rosario on this roster. Rosario's days in Cleveland seem numbered and the longer this team stays more than a series out of first place the more likely it appears that he will be gone by the trade deadline, if not sooner.

3. Josh Bell

There has been the occasional blip of prodcution, but Josh Bell has been a massive disappointment. Bell has not produced up to the level that many hoped and that is concerning. Like Zunino, Bell was expected to provide some pop to the lineup and it simply has not come consistently enough. It certainly seems that Bell is not a viable option to play every day and that is a big time miss by Cleveland's front office considering the player-friendly contract they signed him to this past offseason. It is hard to imagine a scenario that has Bell turning down his $16.5 million player option for next season when he is a non-factor at the plate more often than not. The Guardians would be wise to just start shopping Bell around to see if anyone will take him and his .695 OPS off their hands, even if they have to eat salary in which to do so.

4. James Karinchak

Why is James Karinchak still here? Karinchak cannot be trusted and crumbles much too often to warrant a guaranteed spot in the Guardians bullpen. Something needs to be done about Karinchak, whether that is demotion, trade, or something else entirely, the point is Cleveland cannot stand idly by as Karinchak continues to be a liability on the mound. Continuing to trot out Karinchak when has become as unreliable as they come is a just an insult to the fans and is a disservice to everyone else in that dugout.

1. Mike Zunino

2. Amed Rosario

3. Josh Bell

4. James Karinchak

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