Cleveland Guardians fans react as team debuts jersey patch advertisement: "Now our jerseys look like fan giveaway jerseys" "Thought we avoided this"

The Cleveland Guardians succumbed to the inevitable, debuting a jersey sleeve advertising patch on Friday. The advertisement will make its first on-field appearance on July 3.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, an Ohio-based company, will have its logo on the team's jerseys through at least the 2026 season.

Marathon has been a Cleveland Guardians corporate partner since 2001. Financial terms of the deal putting the company's logo on the jerseys were not disclosed.

The Guardians are the 12th MLB team to feature a jersey patch.

Marathon’s Senior Vice President of Global Clean Products Brian Partee said in a statement:

"With our Ohio roots and just over a decade separating our foundings, we think it's fitting to be the Cleveland Guardians inaugural jersey patch sponsor. While we can both be proud of our past, it’s the future we’re most excited about, including this partnership. As a bonus, many of our employees and customers are generational and passionate fans of the celebrated ball club."

Guardians President of Business Brian Barren said in a statement:

"We look forward to expanding our relationship with Marathon as our inaugural jersey patch partner. When we started to look for a partner to don on our jersey, we knew we wanted an Ohio-based brand that was recognizable to our fans and had been a part of the Northeast Ohio community for as long, if not longer, than we have."

Some Guardians fans had grand plans on how to spend the influx of money from the sleeve ad. However, it should be noted that the Guardians are not expected to be in on the free agent bidding for Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani.

Cleveland Guardians tied for first in AL Central

Cal Quantrill #47 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 30, 2023

The Guardians were tied with the Minnesota Twins for first place in American League Central heading into a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The entirety of the AL Central is sub-.500, with Cleveland and Minnesota both sporting winning percentages of .488. The Twins are 40-42, the Guardians are 39-41.