Don’t let the Cleveland Guardians’ postseason berth in 2025 fool you. While the team punched its ticket to October, the reality is that the roster still has glaring holes. There’s a vacancy in right field, uncertainty in center field, and questions lingering over the middle infield. Yet, according to national MLB writer Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the organization’s starting rotation is the area most in need of attention.
On Monday, Reuter published his annual rundown of each team’s biggest roster weaknesses, and Cleveland’s selection raised eyebrows. “Year after year, the Guardians choose to sit on their hands rather than spending money in free agency to bolster a strong roster, and expecting anything different this winter is wishful thinking,” Reuter wrote. “They should at least add some veteran depth to the starting rotation mix, with Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick currently slated to fill three spots on the staff.” He even pointed to Walker Buehler as a logical target.
While Reuter isn’t necessarily wrong — the Guardians’ pitching depth beyond their core isn’t extensive — the team’s outfield woes from 2025 are far more glaring. Cleveland’s outfielders combined for a -1.9 bWAR last season, the worst mark from a single position in all of baseball. Right field and center field were essentially black holes, and even left field, manned by Steven Kwan, didn’t perform up to league-average standards.
Nolan Jones carried most of the load in right field but struggled mightily, hitting .211 and ranking in the eighth percentile for strikeout rate. Jhonkensy Noel saw significant time as well but was removed from the roster for a reliever who himself lasted less than a week before being designated for assignment. Meanwhile, Angel MartĂnez was frequently pressed into service in center field despite being miscast for the role. The result: a defensive and offensive unit that consistently undermined the team.
For the Guardians, shoring up the outfield should be the clear priority. Center and right field are positions where the team cannot afford to experiment or hope internal options suddenly break out. The team’s playoff hopes hinge on securing reliable production in these spots, both at the plate and in the field.
Even if the rotation were considered a bigger need, Walker Buehler is a questionable solution. The 31-year-old right-hander struggled in 2025, posting a 4.93 ERA across 126 innings with the Red Sox and Phillies. After a disastrous start with Boston that led to a bullpen demotion and eventual release, he signed a minor league contract with Philadelphia and allowed just one run across 13 2/3 innings. While that late-season surge shows some promise, it hardly justifies a major investment in the starting rotation for a team with limited financial flexibility.
Cleveland did, however, demonstrate savvy in reshaping its bullpen last season, acquiring unheralded veterans who delivered stability in high-leverage situations. Allocating scarce resources to Buehler in the rotation could distract from addressing positions that truly threaten the team’s competitiveness — namely, the outfield.
The takeaway: while veteran pitching depth is always valuable, the Guardians’ most urgent offseason task is fixing the glaring holes out in the field. Right and center must be priorities before chasing perceived rotation upgrades, or Cleveland risks another season where strong pitching is undermined by a porous defensive alignment. The postseason berth was a success story, but without strategic corrections, that story could be short-lived.
inally act decisively on their outfield deficiencies, or will the front office be seduced by headline-grabbing pitching Fans and analysts alike are watching closely. Will the Guardians facquisitions? One thing is certain: in a league where small margins separate contenders from pretenders, the clock is ticking.
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