The Cleveland Guardians’ starting rotation was a weak spot during their solid 2024 season, with inconsistent pitching leading to overuse of the bullpen, especially against teams like the New York Yankees. For 2025, the Guardians aim to strengthen their rotation to boost their World Series chances.
One potential strategy, proposed by a Guardians fan account, is to **re-sign Matthew Boyd** and **sign Frankie Montas**. This could give Cleveland a reliable rotation with Boyd, Montas, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, and Gavin Williams, while adding depth with pitchers like Triston McKenzie, Joey Cantillo, and Ethan Lively. There’s also the possibility of seeing top prospect Logan Messick contribute at some point.
The ideal scenario would be adding a top-tier ace like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried, Garrett Crochet, or Jesús Luzardo. However, Burnes, Snell, and Fried are free agents likely too expensive for the Guardians’ budget, while Luzardo and Crochet would require Cleveland to part with valuable prospects—something the team is hesitant to do, as evidenced by their actions at the trade deadline.
Montas could be a more affordable option, despite a rough 2024 season (4.84 ERA in 150.2 innings). Given his better career numbers, the Guardians may be able to unlock more potential with him. Boyd, who was effective both during the regular season and playoffs, is already a known commodity for Cleveland. However, the main concern with both pitchers is their injury histories.
If the Guardians can’t land a high-profile ace, re-signing Boyd and adding Montas could still be a strong, cost-effective solution to bolster their rotation.
