Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, And The Future Of The Guardians' Starting Rotation

The Cleveland Guardians have some decisions to make with their pitching rotation.

The Cleveland Guardians' pitching staff has been through a lot during the first three months of the 2023 season.

This includes Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, Peyton Battenfield, and Aaron Civale all spending time on the IL, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen emerging as key rotation pieces, Zach Plesac being DFA'd, and the never-ending rumors surrounding Shane Bieber's future.

The Guardians are still in contention to win the American League Central which could guide Cleveland's decisions with how they manage their pitching staff moving forward. 

The big question is, what does the future of Cleveland's rotation hold?

We all want to know what the organization plans to do with Bieber as the August 1 trade deadline rapidly approaches. There have been numerous reports about other teams becoming interested in the former Cy-Young winner. 

Bieber even talked about hearing his name being thrown around in trade rumors. 

Trading Bieber could give the Guardians a much-needed power bat or more outfield depth that they need. This trade assumes that Cleveland will maintain their pitching depth with the guys they already have. 

However, that depth has changed in the last three days.

McKenzie was scratched from his start on Friday and then on Saturday was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow. This comes after Triston started the season on the 60-day IL with right teres major strain and has only made two starts this year.

No one knows the extent of the injury or how long it will keep Stricks sidelined.

I think that this uncertainty could make Cleveland hesitant to trade Bieber this season. Again, the Guardians are still a contender and could be in the playoffs come October. They'll need a solidified ace to lead them there and if McKenzie is injured, then Bieber is that guy.

Bieber still has a year and a half of team control left and won't be a free agent until after the 2024 season. The Guardians could hold off trading him until the offseason, get a similar return, and have the likes of Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo ready to be in the rotation next season.

The future of Cleveland's pitching staff was already filled with uncertainty and McKenzie's injury only paints a bleaker picture of what the team will look like in two months.

Cleveland should be focused on winning the division and making whatever moves help them do that, trading Bieber or not. 

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