Cleveland Guardians 2025 Rotation Beginning To Take Shape

The Cleveland Guardians have re-signed a former Cy Young winner and traded for a starting pitcher so far this offseason.

Sep 6, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) warms up during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

How the Cleveland Guardians would address their starting rotation was one of the biggest questions heading into the offseason.

They've accomplished that task to some degree, and Cleveland's rotation is starting to come together for 2025.

Let's take a look at some of the options they have moving forward.

Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Ben Lively

Heading into the offseason, the Guardians knew they'd have three arms available in their rotation for the 2025 season: Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Ben Lively.

Bibee was Cleveland's best pitcher in 2024, posting an ERA of 3.47 and a 1.12 WHIP. He can still improve some areas on, such as getting deeper into his starts, but he should be the Guardians Opening Day starter next March.

Williams suffered an elbow injury during Spring Train, which caused him to miss half of the regular season. He never recaptured the same magic the 25-year-old showed in his rookie season, but the potential remains to be a middle-to-top arm in a rotation.

Lively was Cleveland's best surprise from 2024 and was its most consistent pitcher at times, too. His 151.0 innings were the most Lively has pitched in a season in a long shot, and he clearly started to run out of gas by the end of the year.

However, a full offseason preparing to be a starter could help Lively be that constant presence in the back of the Guardians rotation in 2025.

Luis Ortiz

The Guardians acquired Luis Ortiz in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates during Winter Meetings. Upon Ortiz's arrival in Cleveland, Chris Antonetti said that he would be joining the team's Major League rotation next season.

Ortiz posted a 3.49 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 15 starts for the Pirates last season. There are still some questions about how he'll look in a rotation for an entire season, but the organization is incredibly high on his potential.

Aug 31, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis Ortiz (48) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Shane Bieber

The biggest wild card here is Shane Bieber.

At some point, Bieber will be in Cleveland's rotation. The question is when.

Bieber is adamant that his rehab is going well. But he'll still miss a chunk of the season as he builds back up his stamina and strength, and it's hard to envision it coming at any point in the first half of the year.

The Guardians will have to find another arm to have in the rotation until Bieber is healthy. The obvious options are Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen, or Joey Cantillo. Or the front office could still sign a free agent and make another trade.

---

A rotation of Bibee, Williams, Ortiz, Lively, and eventually Bieber has a lot of upside, but some unknowns still come with this group, too.

Anything can change, but it appears that this is who the Guardians will roll with as the starting five for the 2025 season.