5 Guardians Playing Their Way Out of the Team's 2024 Plans
![Myles Straw highlights the list of Guardians who could be playing themselves out of their roles or jobs for 2024. Myles Straw highlights the list of Guardians who could be playing themselves out of their roles or jobs for 2024.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3336,h_1876,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/251/01h7fvvbn1s818ramxb4.jpg)
3. James Karinchak
Let me start off by saying I don't expect James Karinchak to be around in 2024. But he had an opportunity this year to grow into one of our most valuable relievers and earn himself a huge role for next season.
He's squandered that chance though, and if anything he's probably made it an uphill battle to avoid seeing his role shrink.
There's a reason that he's down in Triple-A right now.
A 3.90 ERA looks absolutely fine on the surface, but the team's not making decisions based on ERA. They're taking a much closer look at how he's actually pitching, and what they're seeing is not promising.
Karinchak is having serious control issues, hitting the zone at a career-low 33.9% rate. These issues have translated to a career-low swinging-strike rate (11.2%) while giving up contact on a career-high 72.1% of swings. That rate jumps to (also a career-worst) 82.8% on pitches in the zone. Control issues are letting hitters wait for favourable spots, and they’re punishing him for it.
He's not exactly dazzling the way you'd expect at the Triple-A level either, and that's the kind of red flag that can absolutely carry over into next season.