Cleveland Guardians Receive Brutal Ranking In Vital Category

The Cleveland Guardians have a very serious concern in this incredibly critical category heading into the MLB playoffs.

Sep 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) takes the ball from starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) during a pitching change in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have won the AL Central division and are heading into the postseason, but that does not mean they don't have some serious concerns.

Above all is their starting pitching, which has been among the worst in baseball all season.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the starting rotations of every playoff team/contender (the standings have not been fully decided yet) going into October, and he had the Guardians ranked 12th out of 13.

Reuter projects Cleveland to roll with Tanner Bibee and then midseason acquisitions Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb (if healthy) as its top three starters. He has Ben Lively slotted in as the No. 4.

Cobb has not pitched since Sept. 1 due to a blister, so his spot in the rotation will obviously depend on whether or not he has fully recovered.

While Bibee has been terrific all year, there is no question that the rest of the Guardians' rotation is full of question marks, especially given that Cobb has only made three starts in 2024.

Cleveland has been able to manage thanks to its historically great bullpen, which Reuter makes note of in his piece. So long as the Guardians' starters don't get shelled, the relief pitchers should at least be able to keep Cleveland in the game.

However, it's definitely a bit scary facing the best offenses in the league with such a volatile starting rotation.

Perhaps the Guardians would be better off going with Lively—who has been pretty reliable all season—over Cobb, but we'll see what Stephen Vogt decides to do.