The Cleveland Guardians shocked the world in 2024.
Following a rather disappointing campaign in 2023, the team relied on its excellent bullpen and defense to reach the American League Championship Series.
Unfortunately, the season didn’t end on a high note and exposed some of the team’s most glaring needs.
The front office hasn’t made many moves to bolster their roster in the offseason, and some of the question marks still remain.
Nevertheless, Zack Meisel of The Athletic still believes the Guardians can be a contender:
“The bullpen has enough depth to guard against inevitable regression. The offense is a different story. Even as a staunch believer in Steven Kwan repeating his All-Star form, in Kyle Manzardo crushing righties and in Juan Brito and Chase DeLauter eventually being above-average big-league hitters, I still have skepticism about the lineup as a whole. But in the AL Central, those ingredients make you a contender,” Meisel said.
Granted, the AL Central isn’t the most competitive baseball division, so the Guardians should have a somewhat easy path to the playoffs.
Now, when it comes to competing at the highest level, it will all fall on the rotation’s arms.
The talent is there, but the consistency definitely wasn’t last season.
Adding a promising player like Luis L. Ortiz gives the team another potential starter.
Shane Bieber should be back on the mound in the second half of the season, and Tanner Bibee should continue to show his consistent and strong form.
On the other hand, Ben Lively was also an unsung hero amid major pitching struggles for this team.
Triston McKenzie and Gavin Williams will be the X-Factors for this rotation, as injuries led to some worrisome regression.
When it comes to the offense, the Guardians might have to make a move or two, as this team lacks power in the lineup.
Still, even despite all of that, this team should be a contender again in 2025.
NEXT: Insider Says Guardians Pitcher Could Be 'Surprise Contributor' In 2025
