Guardians vs Royals Picks and Prediction – 3/27/2025

Cleveland and Kansas City open the 2025 season with a 4:10 PM EST first pitch at Kauffman Stadium. The Guardians send right-hander Tanner Bibee to the mound, while the Royals counter with lefty Cole Ragans. Cleveland finished Spring Training with a 3-2 mark in the last five games, including a 3-2 win over Arizona. Kansas City closed strong, too, beating Texas 3-1 in the last outing. Elevate your MLB game with our top-notch MLB picks.

Cleveland is coming off a solid spring, showing flashes of the balanced offense that helped them stay competitive last season. The lineup may not feature big power, but it grinds out at-bats and takes advantage of mistakes. In spring action, the Guardians produced double-digit hits multiple times and were aggressive on the bases. Tanner Bibee enters his third campaign looking to build on an impressive season a year ago where he posted a 3.47 ERA and 187 strikeouts across 173.2 innings. 

Defensively, Cleveland remains one of the more consistent units in the AL. They were top-10 in team fielding percentage last year and bring back a strong infield anchored by Carlos Santana and José Ramírez. The bullpen has question marks due to injuries — with Erik Sabrowski and David Fry both sidelined — but still features enough depth to hold late leads. The Guardians will need to rely on Bibee to go deep while the pen settles into early-season rhythm.

Kansas City had a productive spring and flashed real offensive upside, scoring 8+ runs in two of the final four contests. Bobby Witt Jr. continues to emerge as a face of the franchise, and Salvador Perez remains a reliable power bat. The Royals will look to jump on Bibee early and lean on left-handed starter Cole Ragans, who has earned Opening Day duties. Ragans has big strikeout stuff and finished 2024 strong, allowing just one run over his final three starts.

On defense, the Royals are still developing. They had stretches last season where errors were costly, and they’ll be tested early by a Cleveland lineup that puts the ball in play. Kansas City’s bullpen is already short-handed, with James McArthur and Alec Marsh on the IL. That puts more pressure on Ragans to pitch deep into the game. Vinnie Pasquantino is listed day-to-day, and his status could impact KC’s run production out of the gate.

Cleveland gets the edge here behind Tanner Bibee, who brings more stability than Ragans, especially with KC missing key bullpen arms. The Guardians play clean, fundamental baseball and have the defensive edge, while the Royals still lack consistency in the field. Kansas City's offense is more dangerous, but if Bibee limits damage early, Cleveland should control the tempo. Final Score Prediction: Cleveland Guardians win 4-3.