Avoiding this worst-case scenario is an absolute must for Cleveland Guardians in 2025

During the 2025 season, it was the Cleveland Guardians bullpen that was tasked with handling a much larger load of work than initially intended. Luckily, Cleveland's relief corps were up to the challenge, making up for the shortcomings of their starting rotation while proving they were the strength of this team. But could a strength one year actually turn out to be a weakness in another?

Relief pitchers can be volatile when viewed on a year-over-year basis, and having to take on a large sized workload for the second straight season could have its consequences. This appears to be a primary factor in Cleveland's entry in a list of possible worst-case scenarios for each team in the upcoming season.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer feels that bullpen regression in 2025 that causes the Guardians to miss out on the postseason as the worst-case scenario for Cleveland, and it is certainly understandable as to why. The Guardians' rotation is not that different from last season's and they could run into similar problems in 2025 as they did in 2024, which would again require the bullpen to shoulder a rather large portion of the pitching workload.

There is no doubting that on paper, Cleveland's bullpen is among, if not, the best group of relievers in baseball. Bringing back Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Tim Herrin while also incorporating Joey Cantillo and Triston McKenzie while integrating Jakob Junis and Paul Sewald into the mix should help them maintain that status. Ideally, those were performed at an elite level last year continue to do so and the new additions to the group can prove to be useful in their new roles.

Performance of Cleveland's rotation will be a big factor for their bullpen in 2025

Attention now turns to the rotation. It's essentially the same group of arms from last season, with an addition of Luis Ortiz. There is not necessarily anything wrong with a starting staff featuring Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Ben Lively, Logan Allen, and Ortiz, it is just going to rely on a lot of things to go right for them when there is a chance it might not.

Should the rotation again experience some difficulties, the Guardians have two arms that could help them out later in the season, Shane Bieber and John Means. Both pitchers are coming off Tommy John surgery and should be available to pitch for the second of the season. Their mid-season additions to the staff could prove useful to the team, especially if the rotation is having issues with length of outings and overall performance. If Bieber and/or Means pitches well, it could provide some much-needed relief to Cleveland's bullpen and allow them to get a little bit of rest before it is time for their expected postseason push and eventual playoff run.

Luckily, Cleveland's front office is well aware of where they needed to improve last season and have hopefully taken the proper precautions to avoid any type of worst-case scenario involving their pitching staff coming to fruition.