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If you’ve been following along over the past few weeks, you know that we’re making our way around the horn, analyzing each position to determine what questions the Guardians may need to answer before Spring Training. Now, we’ve reached the end.  

Guardians Around the Horn: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP

We’ve covered the infield, outfield and starting rotation. It’s time to take one last in-depth look at the roster before Spring Training. This time, let’s tackle the bullpen.  

Projected 'pen (assuming Cleveland carries eight relievers): Emmanuel Clase, Scott Barlow, Trevor Stephan, Sam Hentges, Eli Morgan, Nick Sandlin, James Karinchak, Carlos Carrasco
The first six names are as close to locks as you can get. The last one or two spots (depending on how many pitchers the Guardians carry) are questionable. Xzavion Curry has more than earned his right to be on the Opening Day roster, and he easily could be. It’s hard to project before Spring Training whether the Guardians would want to carry two long relief arms in Curry and Carrasco, who is reportedly coming to camp on a Minor League deal, with such thin starting pitching depth in the pipeline. Maybe having one of the two waiting in Triple-A Columbus fully stretched out as a starter could be beneficial. Or maybe they’ll be fine to bounce back and forth from the 'pen to the rotation when needed.

Along with the long-relief spot, the Guardians will have questions about Karinchak. He started his career on a high note, demonstrating top-tier stuff that missed bats consistently. Halfway through the 2021 season, he lost his command and has battled ever since. He’ll need to show improvements in commanding the strike zone before reclaiming his regular role in the bullpen.  

Other options: Curry, Cade Smith, Anthony Gose, Tim Herrin, Ben Lively, Adam Oller, Nic Enright, Tyler Beede, Jaime Barria, Franco Aleman
Oller, Enright, Beede, Barria and Aleman will all enter camp as non-roster invitees, ready to showcase what they could bring to the table if the Guardians need to dip into their relief depth. But a handful of other names enter camp higher in the pecking order. We already talked about Curry’s situation, which could very well end up with him on the Opening Day roster, so let’s move to Gose.

Gose was an intriguing arm in 2021, when he made his big league pitching debut. The then-31-year-old had been a Major League outfielder before he made the transition to hard-throwing hurler. A southpaw with the ability to hit triple digits on the radar gun is enticing, and if he continued to improve his command, the Guardians knew he could become a weapon. But in '22, he hurt his throwing arm and underwent Tommy John surgery in September. Now, at 33, Gose is back in action and trying to prove he can come back and develop into a force out of the 'pen.  

Another interesting option to keep an eye on will be Smith. The right-hander is high on the Guardians’ list, as he continued to succeed with his fastball and made strides with his secondary stuff (slider and splitter) in the Minors last year. In 17 games with Double-A Akron, he pitched to a 2.86 ERA before recording 66 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings once he was promoted to Triple-A Columbus.

Question to answer: Who fills the last two spots?
We touched on this a little bit already. The first six names are all but set, assuming everyone stays healthy through the spring. If the Guardians take the maximum number of pitchers (13) allowed on the active roster, they will have two openings that are left. At least one will go to a long-relief arm like Curry or Carrasco. Maybe there are ways for both to make it. Maybe the organization would prefer one to get stretched out as a starter to be ready if depth is needed in the rotation. If both aren’t on the roster, then there will be a battle for the last spot. Will Karinchak prove he’s ready to be trusted again? Can Smith stand out to join the big league roster on Day 1? These will all be things to keep a close eye on as camp gets underway in two weeks. 

Who else is in the Pipeline?
No. 19: RHP Andrew Walters (age: 23, Arizona Complex League)