Which internal options could step up for Guardians’ rotation?

DALLAS — First it was Matthew Boyd. Then, it was Alex Cobb.

The Guardians had hopes of bringing back all three of their former starting pitchers who entered free agency this offseason, but they settled for one. Between Shane Bieber, Boyd and Cobb, Bieber was the best option they could’ve gotten. Quite frankly, he’s the best talent this team can land on the free-agent market, overall.

The problem is that Bieber won’t be ready until the middle of the season after recovering from right elbow surgery. So who’s going to fill the rotation out in the meantime?

“If we add one or two guys or don’t, that’s not going to be determinative of our success next year,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “It’s going to be about the 70 other players already in the organization that have a chance to impact us next year. … If there are opportunities to add guys from the outside like we’ve done already, we’ll look to do that.”

Every year, the Guardians manage to find veteran starting pitchers who enter camp on a Minor League contract and end up making an impact on the big league team. Maybe that can happen again, but the ultimate focus now will be on Cleveland’s internal options.

The lockTanner Bibee: If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Bibee will be the anchor of this rotation. He took a huge step in his development in 2024 and the Guardians are ready to lean on him again next year.

“He wants to be an ace,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Tanner solidified himself as one of our best, if not the best pitcher.”

The assumedGavin Williams: If Williams can find a way to be more consistent next year than he was in his injury-shortened season in 2024, the Guardians will be in much better shape. When he’s on, he’s lethal, and Cleveland desperately needs a strong No. 2 behind Bibee. Last year’s 4.86 ERA didn’t provide tremendous reassurance to believe this could be the case, but Williams has the stuff to do damage if he can settle in.

Ben Lively: The Guardians struck gold with Lively last year. The man who was supposed to be a long reliever but missed the start of the season with an illness and was needed to carry this rotation to the end of the year delivered. He’s not overpowering. And Lively can’t take on the biggest workload of the group. But he can be consistent. Cleveland just needs him to be able to do it in back-to-back seasons.

The contendersTriston McKenzie: This was probably the biggest disappointment of 2024. Everyone knows the asset McKenzie can be when everything is clicking on the rubber, but he’s now shown in two seasons that his command can get away from him for extended periods of time. He spent more than half the season with Triple-A Columbus last year, so he’ll have to figure out how to right the ship this winter to make sure he can provide for the big league team next year.

“He’s got a healthy body, a healthy arm, he’s having a great offseason,” Vogt said. “We all know how good Triston McKenzie can be, and the best version of him makes us the best version of us.”

Logan Allen: Like McKenzie, Allen took a step back in 2024, posting a 5.73 ERA with 41 walks and 22 homers in 97 1/3 innings. He spent most of the second half of the season in Triple-A and will have to prove he can earn his way back into the everyday mix.

Joey Cantillo: Cleveland’s No. 15 prospect was tested in a handful of roles at the big league level this year. After the first handful of appearances, he locked in and showed he can be a legitimate option. But inexperience could cause some hiccups along the way.

Doug Nikhazy: Cleveland’s No. 23 prospect has yet to make his Major League debut, but he was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and has started to turn some heads.

“We really liked the stuff,” Vogt said. “It’s a really good slider. The fastball’s got some good action and velo to it, as well. He really knows how to pitch.”

As much as the Guardians could benefit from adding another quality external starting pitcher, it may be more realistic to think that the holes will be filled internally.

“With that group right there,” Vogt said, “we feel like we’ve got the right people to step up and earn spots.”