Who will snag Guardians’ No. 5 starter spot?

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

What better way is there to start the new year than answering all your lingering questions about the Guardians’ offseason? Let’s face it, Spring Training is only roughly a month away.

Time is ticking.

Let’s go over everything we know:

Operating under the assumption that Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz and Ben Lively are locks for the rotation, who do you believe has the advantage for the last rotation spot? — @FranmilsEyebrow

Before anyone throws a pitch at Spring Training, let’s say the favorable group is Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and No. 15 prospect Joey Cantillo. The Guardians desperately want McKenzie to put the 2024 season behind him and get back to being the dominant pitcher they’ve seen him be earlier in his career. The hope would be that he’ll stand out as the clear No. 5 starter to join this group as Cactus League games get underway. But we all know it’s not that simple. Maybe Allen can show he’s taken a step up. Cantillo really settled in at the end of last season and proved he can handle himself in the Majors, so he’ll be a top contender.

But let’s also not forget about Slade Cecconi. There’s a reason this front office wanted to trade for him, and Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was quick to say that he’ll be in the starting rotation competition this spring. It’s just hard to predict what to expect from a guy we haven’t seen regularly just yet.

With the Andrés Giménez trade, who is the front-runner to take over 2B? Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Daniel Schneemann, Juan Brito or someone else? — @ljf1017

This is all purely speculation until Spring Training gets underway, but here’s my ranking of likeliness as of now:

Arias
Brito
Freeman
Schneemann

The Guardians are pleased with the strides Arias made after he was optioned to Triple-A Columbus last year, and then he went on to hit .292 with a .911 OPS in 27 games in the Venezuelan Winter League. He’s a slick defender with Major League experience. It just makes sense to give him the first shot.

Brito (Cleveland’s No. 8 prospect) could be on his tail, though, after being a prospect with a tremendous amount of upside. Maybe his 2024 season wasn’t as encouraging as his previous Minor League seasons, but there’s a reason this organization traded Nolan Jones, a former top prospect, to get Brito. His time to get a chance in the big leagues is coming.

Schneemann ranks last simply because he seems like the most suited for a utility type role for this roster. It could be more beneficial to take advantage of his versatility. But he and Freeman both will be strongly in the mix.

How is Shane Bieber’s rehab coming along? And what’s the timetable on his return to the big league mound? — @AndyMees216

Everything is on track. Until Bieber really starts getting into his throwing program, we won’t know if his timeline will speed up or slow down. So as of now, the Guardians are operating under the original timeline of 12-15 months from when he underwent Tommy John surgery last April.

What does the organization expect from Gavin Williams in 2025? Feels like last season, injuries got in the way of his development. — @PUNXS

The Guardians can hope that the leap everyone expected Williams to make in 2024 will happen in ’25. Knowing that Bieber won’t be back until halfway through the season, Cleveland needs a reliable No. 2 starter behind Bibee. Williams showed flashes of the dominance he can provide last year. Now that he’s healthy, he can try to do that more consistently this year.

Can the Guards bring in one more starter who can give them five or six innings? — @kevingillman9

Sources have told MLB.com that the Guardians have checked in on a possible a trade for Cardinals right-hander Erick Fedde, but the rumors have died down since the calendar flipped to 2025.

Are we sitting tight with Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges at catcher? This position needs a consistent hitter desperately. — @RJC6323

The Guardians were really impressed with the strides Naylor took this year defensively, in his preparation and as a leader. Maybe they haven’t seen the offense they expected yet, but they seem locked in on trusting him to be the starter again this year.

Does this organization believe they are a better team today than at the end of last year? What do they believe (if the answer is yes) validates that response? If no, what/where are they looking to address areas that will help them improve? — @andrewtodd007

Antonetti was asked this after the Winter Meetings and gave a simple, indecisive answer to that question: “I hope so.”