Predicting The Guardians 2025 Opening Day Rotation, Pre-Spring Training

Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luiz Ortiz

There's not much new at the top of the rotation compared to my last prediction. Barring any injuries, a top-three of Bibee, Williams, and Ortiz seems to be a safe lock to start the season.

Bibee is the team's ace until Bieber returns, Williams is in line to have a breakout year after an injury-filled 2025 campaign, and Ortiz was recently showcasing his possible pitch mix as a full-time start.

The Guardians are going to be leaning a lot on this trio through the 2025 season.

Ben Lively

Looking at the number-four starter, Lively was one of Cleveland's most consistent starting pitchers last season and deserves another chance in the Guardians rotation.

He finished with a 3.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 29 starts.

Triston McKenzie

Stephen Vogt said earlier this offseason that he believes McKenzie would bounce back in 2025, and given that he's out of Minor League options, Cleveland at least has to allow McKenzie to prove he can be a quality starting pitcher.

However, his production last season was concerning, and if that continues during Spring Training, the team could consider looking elsewhere for its fifth starter.

Joey Cantillo

The next logical option for the Guardians is Cantillo, who started eight games during his rookie season.

The lefty continued to get better in each of his appearances in 2024 and still has a curveball with elite movement.

If Cantillo comes into Spring Training with a revamped heater and a solid changeup, he could quickly become a legit option for the rotation.

While this prediction of Cleveland's rotation does not include many new developments, Spring Training will give us a much better idea of what the Guardians' pitch depth could look like to start the season.

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