CLEVELAND, Ohio - In a recent episode of the [Terry’s Talkin’ podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/6wmjZmVQmBJqrJqAWHuRRc), columnist Terry Pluto expressed concern about the delicate balancing act facing the Guardians this season.
“They can’t just rely on this bullpen to be spectacular,” Pluto emphasized during his conversation with host David Campbell. “When you’re talking about their ERA as a team in the bullpen, it was 2.57. The next-best team in all the Major Leagues was Milwaukee at 3.11.”
Even more impressive was the performance of the team’s top four relievers.
“You had your big four of Emmanuel Clase and (Cade) Smith and Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin. They had a combined 1.49 ERA,” Pluto said.
But repeating such dominance seems improbable, especially if the starting rotation fails to provide length. Last season, Cleveland’s starters were among the least productive in eating innings.
“Only two in the American League, only Detroit and Chicago, had starting pitchers pitch fewer innings than the Cleveland’s did,” Pluto pointed out.
The 2024 rotation has its question marks. While Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams have had strong spring trainings, there are concerns about Luis Ortiz, who was acquired from Pittsburgh this offseason as part of a deal that sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto.
“You traded a stellar second baseman, perhaps the best defensive second baseman I’ve ever seen,” Pluto said. “And you’re counting on Ortiz to, you know, nail down that spot in the rotation.”
Ortiz struggled with control issues in spring training, walking far more batters than his career norms would suggest.
Meanwhile, Logan Allen has shown promising signs of returning to his 2023 form, when he was effective after coming up from the minors.
For the Guardians, the formula seems straightforward: More quality innings from starters means less strain on relievers, which increases the likelihood the bullpen can maintain its effectiveness.
“I think the bullpen will still be really good if you don’t overwork it,” Pluto concluded.
_Want to hear more of Terry Pluto’s insights on the Guardians’ pitching staff and other pressing questions facing the team as the season begins? Listen to the full episode of Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, where Terry and David Campbell break down all the key storylines as Cleveland begins its quest for an AL Central title._
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_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Terry’s Talkin’, a weekly cleveland.com sports podcast. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._