Opening day for the MLB regular season is just days away and with it, comes the excitement of summer days and many dollar dogs to come. While I am excited to indulge in America’s past time, as a Guardians fan I feel cautiously optimistic moving into the 2025 season. The reason for this cautious optimism is that although the Guardians were in the ALCS just last season, the team’s starting pitching rotation seems like it is going to leave much to be desired to start the 2025 season. Whether it be injuries, lack of depth, or poor performance, I fear starting pitching will be the bane of the Cleveland Guardians’ existence during the 2025 season

Key Injuries

Injuries to the Guardians’ starting pitching rotation is the key factor as to why I think the rotation will suffer this season. Ace Shane Bieber, suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery early into his 2024 season. Because of this injury, Bieber is not expected to return to the lineup until mid-way through the 2025 season, and while the team fared fine without him last year, the youthful arms in the Guardians rotations struggled last year, something I fear the team can’t get away with this year  Then there is new addition, John Means. Means is currently recovering from his second Tommy John Surgery and has had struggles with multiple injuries during his career. When on the mound Means is fantastic, boasting a 2.61 ERA in 4 starts last season before the injury. The issue is two key pitchers for the Guardians will not start the season as they are rehabbing, and with Bieber and Means both having extensive injury histories, the teams’ reliance on them does scare me a bit.

Unproven Young Core

The other cause for concern is the young core that the Guardians have been developing. Aside from Tanner Bibee, Gavin Wiliams, and Logan Allen have both had their highs and lows since being called up to the show. Williams gives me hope, as he had his injuries to deal with last season which may have hindered his play. That, mixed with his strong spring ball campaign gives me hope that he can help fill a hole in the lineup that desperately needs filling. Allen however, had a rough season, pitching a 5.73 ERA. Allen showed promise in the minor and one can only hope that he can show those same flashes in the majors. A new young face to the starting rotation, Luis Ortiz, acquired from the Pirates in the 2025 offseason, was a promising addition boasting a 3.32 ERA last season for Pittsburgh. In spring training, however, it has not been good for Ortiz, as he has an 11.66 ERA with a 0-4 record. It is just spring training and there is plenty of time to turn it around, and that’s exactly what these young pitchers will need to do if the Guardians want to follow up their success from last season.

The Bottom Line

The Guardians starting pitching rotation is a real concern for this team, especially as their division, the American Leauge Central only gets better. This crisis can be avoided if the young pitchers the Guardians have been developing take a real step this season, and if the injured veterans return quickly and stay uninjured. However, those are big ifs, and as a writer who has seen this team be fantastic one year and mediocre the next, I fear this trend will continue.