When it comes to pitching development, Cleveland has been a model organization for years. The Guardians have churned out quality starter after quality starter. Among the names they've either drafted or acquired as a prospect and developed into a true big leaguer are Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Shane Bieber, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, Danny Salazar and Triston McKenzie. Journeyman Ben Lively turned his career around in Cleveland recently. Matthew Boyd parlayed eight strong starts with the '24 Guardians into a two-year deal with the Cubs and looks completely revitalized.
Not all of those arms have sustained their success, of course. Injuries and general pitcher attrition hit the Guardians, just like any other club. Salazar, McKenzie and plenty of others in the past decade have run into health troubles that derailed their careers. Bieber's 2024 lasted only two starts before Tommy John surgery, and he was traded to the Blue Jays in July before making it back to a big league mound in Cleveland (albeit in a deal netting a pretty strong pitching prospect, Khal Stephen). Daniel Espino went from the sport's top pitching prospect to the poster boy for the "What if..." crowd after a series of significant injuries -- including two shoulder surgeries -- blew up his promising career. He's still with the organization but hasn't pitched in a game since 2022 (when he tossed only 18 1/3 innings).
The Guardians have had similar success in the bullpen, churning out names like Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Trevor Stephan, Hunter Gaddis, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Sam Hentges, James Karinchak and more. As with the starters -- even more so, in fact -- injuries and attrition have whittled away at the group, but Cleveland has generally been able to bank on piecing together a strong relief corps while rarely investing significant money to do so.
Over the past decade, Cleveland starters rank second in the majors in innings pitched and are tied for fifth in ERA. The rotation has been so good that Cleveland relievers have pitched the fewest innings of any team in the game. Their relievers, unsurprisingly, lead MLB in earned run average in that span.
We've come to take for granted that the Guardians will just produce a good pitching staff even when they lack clear name value. Almost as if by magic, they seemingly pluck strong pitching performances from thin air. That hasn't quite been the case in 2025, however, and there's reason to wonder whether they can get back on track in 2026.
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a couple of yrs ago, it looked like bibee, logan allen, mckenzie were destined for stardom. all 3 have bottomed out seemingly overnite.
another tm with seemingly endless supply of talented arms are the rays, and their rotation too hasnt developed at all (except for mayb rasmussen).
Not a subscriber so I could only read the first paragraph, but I’m guessing it’s about their lack of a true closer and nobody really in the pipeline to be one. This winter they’ll have to break down and either sign one or trade for one. I know ownership/FO shudder at the thought of doing that, but next year is gonna be a long season if they don’t.
Your guesses stink. Pay the subscription fee so you can have a valid opinion.
When does John Means debut? Anyone know?
The Ortiz debacle has really hurt.
If MLB moves to banish Clase and Ortiz forever for whatever guilt they may have in their micro betting nonsense (who the F really cares?) after giving AJ Hinch a one year wrist slap for his role in a macro cheating scandal that gave Houston a World Series title and deprived teams in the running like Cleveland and LA, I’ll just puke. Let these two chastened pitchers return to this organization and a fair part of the pitching issue is resolved.
Those two pitchers deliberately threw balls in a major league game so that people could make money and you don’t care? I sure do. Banning them will hurt my team severely, but I’m in favor of it. I’m also in favor of a deeper investigation into whether other pitchers across the leagues are doing the same thing.
Where was this desire, nay the demand, for a deeper investigation into the vile widespread cheating that went on for nearly two years affecting once in a lifetime playoff odds? THAT was big stuff but it quietly went away … for the good of the game I guess.
Ball one! If true, that certainly can hurt, I know it puts the hitter in a better position but it doesn’t put him in the truly heightened position Houston hitters were in when those garbage can lids telegraphed which pitch to expect. Nope, not even close yet you seem eager to dump these two alleged knuckleheads — innocent til proven guilty, right? — in your worry for the integrity of the game. The game had no integrity back then I guess.
Stealing signs itself is not against the rules. The use of technology and way they signaled each other is what was nefarious.
Players betting on games has been against the rules and punishable by a lifetime ban for over 100 years. It is one of cardinal rules of the sport.
The two should not even be discussed together, players betting on the sport is exponentially worse.