The Cleveland Guardians have some decisions to make about their starting rotation, and Stephen Vogt is confident in their depth.
There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about how the Cleveland Guardians must add more depth to the lineup.
While that may be true, the Guardians’ skipper is confident about the depth Cleveland has at another position group: the starting rotation.
Pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks, and the Guardians are in the unique position where they have more than enough starting pitchers than spots in the rotation, creating what will be an intriguing battle throughout spring training.
“The six starters we had that finished the year are going to be in competition, as well as some younger arms right behind them,” Vogt said.
“So we feel that the depth of our starting rotation is going to be strong, and the show that those guys put on for everybody in the last month of the year; we expect them to hit the ground running… feeling really good about the team as the pitching as a whole.”
Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) takes the ball from starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesThe six pitchers Vogt is referring to are Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, and Parker Messick.
While Cleveland’s six-man rotation worked beautifully for the Guardians last September, even Vogt admitted during the experiment that a lengthened rotation likely wouldn’t work in the regular season, and the only reason the Guardians were able to pull it off was because of the extra roster spots.
Williams and Bibee are locks in the rotation, which leaves Cecconi, Allen, Cantillo, and Messick battling for the final spots.
Then, looking a little deeper into the farm system, Khal Stephen and Austin Peterson could be options for Cleveland at some point in 2026. Who knows, a healthy Daniel Espino could also be a starting option, too.
Even though Vogt feels good about the depth of his pitching staff and rotation right now, injuries are always possible and likely to pop up throughout a 162-game season. If a starter does go down, the Guardians are in a solid spot to replenish their spot in the rotation with another arm.
The other piece to this is that, if Cleveland is extremely confident with its depth, it could look to trade one of its arms for a hitter.
Either way, Vogt is clearly confident with the group that will be reporting to Goodyear soon.