This is identified as the Guardians' biggest weakness for the playoffs

It's official: The Cleveland Guardians have punched their ticket to the 2024 MLB playoffs. They clinched their playoff spot Thursday afternoon, thanks to a walk-off from Andres Gimenez.

However, the Guardians still have some weak spots in their roster. Some of them have been a problem since day one.

Sports Illustrated's Tom Dierberger listed what he considers the biggest weakness of each American League playoff contender, and for the Guardians, he identified their rotation as a problem.

“The Guardians have arguably the best relief corps in all of baseball thanks to another dominant season from All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, but the guys trying to move the game forward leave a lot to be desired. Cleveland's rotation ranks 24th in ERA (4.49) and 23rd in WHIP (1.32) this season after struggling with injuries, poor performances, or both, from Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco.”

“Tanner Bibee is expected to start the first game of a playoff series, but after that? Veterans Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb, who last pitched Sept. 1 and still has a blister on his right hand, have combined for 10 starts for Cleveland and are probably the best options.”

It's hard to argue with Dierberger's assessment. Cleveland's starting rotation has been a question mark since spring training, and that concern only grew after Shane Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery after just two starts. Not to mention the underperformance of Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen.

If the playoffs started tomorrow, a rotation of Tanner Bibee, Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb, and maybe Gavin Williams would make the most sense. That could be a solid four-man group, but we also can't ignore their inconsistencies this season.

Cleveland's game plan all season has been to get to the fifth inning with the lead and pass it to the bullpen. Given the rotation situation, that will be the same strategy in the playoffs as well.