Cleveland Guardians: What would the 2022 Opening Day roster look like right now?

Pitching Staff

Rotation

• Shane Bieber
• Aaron Civale
• Zach Plesac
• Cal Quantrill
• Triston McKenzie

The Guardians rotation is so good it should make you actually want the season to start right this second no matter what. This pitching staff endured what felt like a once-in-a-century rash of injuries last season that derailed what were becoming some decent playoff hopes up until the All-Star break, so maintaining some normal level of health will be paramount to the team’s success in 2022.

If that happens, and almost everyone in the rotation is making 30+ starts… the sky’s the limit for this team.

Bullpen

The Guardians bullpen is full of young arms, but the most important thing is that Emmanuel Clase is the undisputed closer, allowing everything else to fall in line from there.  Cleveland might bring in a veteran or two for additional bullpen support (hello, Bryan Shaw!) when the lockout is over, but Clase and Nick Sandlin as a potential setup man already provide an excellent 1-2 punch to close out games. And if James Karinchak can get back on track, the Guardians will have a deeper bullpen than people realize.