Indians: Who will be the Opening Day starter in 2020?

The Cleveland Indians may seek a new player to be the Opening Day starter as a new decade begins with the 2020 MLB season.

The Cleveland Indians don’t have the best luck as a team on Opening Day.

Whether it be the cold or just the start of a new season, the Indians are known for being a bit sluggish during the first game of the year. That is, on offense.

But that is not due to a lack of support from the pitching staff. While the first few games may be rough the team does always have a shot to win thanks to who opens the year on the mound.

Corey Kluber has been the Opening Day starter since 2015. Before that, Justin Masterson started three straight seasons for the Indians. Talk about a big name guy who quickly faded away once the team got better.

As of right now it seems fair to assume that Kluber will once again get the nod in 2020 to open the year. But it would not be without some careful consideration from Terry Francona. It also depends on whether Kluber is traded this offseason.

Assuming there is no trade, Kluber should get the start. I will be surprised if the game is even played considering the Indians open the year at home on March 26. Just insane.

But let’s say Kluber is gone at the start of the season. That puts Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger in the discussion to lead the rotation out of the gate.

Carrasco getting the nod would be the fan favorite move. Though we have to see if he is ready to go as a starter when the 2020 season gets underway. Unlike in 2019, it may be wise to ease him back into things without much pressure in 2020.

Bieber is the young star who finished the highest on the team in Cy Young voting this year. I would argue that based on ability alone he would earn the spot. But knowing Francona, I would guess that Clevinger would replace Kluber due to being more of a veteran.

It is always tricky to predict moves made by Francona. He goes with his gut and trusts his veterans all the time. That is why it would be odd to see a young pitcher get the Opening Day start, unless the front office made him do it.

Just like with any future talk of Francisco Lindor in town, we are in a holding pattern when predicting anything involving Kluber. But for now, he is likely to make his sixth straight Opening Day start if he remains on the team. Francona is always going to trust his veteran ace as long as he is around.