Analyst Exposes Guardians' Biggest Offseason Regret

The Cleveland Guardians may end up regretting this offseason decision.

Sep 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) takes the ball from starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) during a pitching change in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians had a very impressive 2024 campaign, winning the AL Central division title and making it all the way to the ALCS.

You would have thought the Guardians would have been eager to build on that success over the winter, but instead, Cleveland opted to jettison a couple of All-Star players without adding a whole lot.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly thinks the Guardians made one major mistake in particular, and that was not adding another veteran starting pitcher.

"So, right now, manager Stephen Vogt's rotation is Tanner Bibee and a bunch of question marks," Kelly wrote. "Will Ben Lively match the career year he had in his age-32 campaign last season? Can Triston McKenzie recapture the form that made him look like a budding star when he posted a 2.96 ERA over 191.1 innings in 2022? What will Cleveland ultimately get from Luis L. Ortiz, Gavin Williams and John Means?"

Kelly also questions whether or not Cleveland's dynamic bullpen will be able to replicate its success in 2025, and he doesn't seem to think it's very likely.

The good news is that the Guardians play in a very winnable division, as none of other teams in the AL Central made significant improvements this offseason, either.

But Cleveland had a chance to really separate itself from the pack here, and it chose not to. Yes, the Guardians did acquire Luis Ortiz in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Ortiz is largely unproven as a starter, and he has struggled mightily in spring training.

We'll see if failing to land another adequate arm over the last several months will come back to bite the Guardians this season.

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