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The Indians have announced that T.J. House and Zach McAllister have made the starting rotation for the beginning of the season. (The news came via a tweet, in which it was also mentioned that Anthony Swarzak would be on the roster and that Josh Tomlin has been optioned to Triple-A) They will fill the #4 and 5 spots behind reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer.
House and McAllister both entered spring training as underdogs to win a spot in the rotation. At that time Gavin Floyd was in line for the fourth spot, and Danny Salazar was the favorite for the fifth. Floyd's elbow problems returned though, potentially sidelining him for the entire season, and Salazar struggled in his spring training appearances, giving up 5 ome runs in 14 innings of work.
House, a 25-year-old lefty, made his MLB debut last season, eventually starting 18 games. His ERA for the year was 3.35 and his FIP was 3.69. Those numbers would have been enough to secure him a spot in most MLB rotations, and it'll be nice to have a southpaw in the rotation.
McAllister, a 27-year-old righty, was roughly league average in 46 starts for the Tribe during 2012 and 2013, but a sprained finger cost him a month and a half in 2013, and ineffectiveness as a starter saw him moved to the bullpen partway through 2014. If he hadn't won a starting spot this month, he'd have been in the bullpen again, but instead he has pitched better than anyone else in camp this spring, including 9 strikeouts in 5 innings on Saturday.
Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, House, McAllister... it's a group with plenty of questions to answer, but also with the potential to be among the better rotations in the American League.
As for Swarzak making the team, it's something I find somewhat surprising, given that he didn't do well (for Minnesota) in 2014, and has given up 9 runs in 8.2 relief innings this spring. He can work as a long reliever, which has some value, but I'd rather have another bat on the bench. I'd be glad for him to surprise me by pitching well, but I think it's more likely he's in Columbus by May.