Opening Day starter for Cleveland Guardians still undecided

Opening Day for the Cleveland Guardians is less than two weeks away, and the team is yet to officially announce who their starting pitcher will be in Kansas City.

Most expect Tanner Bibee to be who Guardians manager Stephen Vogt will choose to start the first regular season for the Guardians. Bibee became the Ace of Cleveland's pitching staff by default last season after Shane Bieber was lost for the season after just two starts. While his elevation to this spot in the rotation was of the default variety, his performance on the mound backed up his new status.

Bibee finished the 2024 season with a 3.47 ERA, 1.117 WHIP, and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, as he anchored the Guardians' pitching staff in their American League Central division-winning season. Considering Cleveland's rotation was plagued by injuries for some and underwhelming performances from others, what Bibee was able to provide in a time of need proved incredibly valuable.

The Guardians are currently being very cautious when it comes to handling Bibee this spring. 2024 was Bibee's first full season as a major league pitcher, and it is important to manage him after his 31 regular season start workload and four postseason starts very carefully. The 26-year-old has made just one start this spring, but that does not mean he has not been throwing. Bibee has been throwing in Arizona and has even thrown in a minor league spring game, but this has not altered his timeline for a potential Opening Day start.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was recently quoted regarding Bibee's status and Cleveland's plans regarding Opening Day. “Tanner is going to be on track to be ready for the start of the season, but there’s just too much time left to make an announcement," said Vogt, as it seems like he is hinting that his choice will be Bibee but is allowing room for some flexibility in the event he needs to pivot for one reason or another.

As long as Bibee continues to make his starts and progresses well in the spring, the expectation should be that he will start Cleveland's first game of the season on March 27th.