After losing many pieces of last year's bullpen, Chris Antonetti said the Cleveland Guardians could look at "external options" to improve their reliever depth for next season.
The Cleveland Guardians may have won the American League Central the last two seasons, but the roster is far from perfect, and the front office has a lot of work to do to make the team a World Series contender in 2026.
Cleveland typically doesn’t make a ton of blockbuster moves in the offseason. Instead, the organization has a history of relying on player development to fill the team's holes. That said, the Guardians will look outside of the organization to improve the depth of one key position group.
During MLB’s GM meetings this week, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian had a chance to speak with Guardians’ President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, and the executive shared
“[The bullpen] will be a place where I think we will look at external options to add to the depth of that group,” Antonetti told Bastian.
With Cleveland’s offense being one of the worst in baseball last season, and the bullpen registering a 3.44 ERA, which was the third best in baseball, it would make sense for the Guardians to spend most of their funds in that department. That said, Cleveland will be without many of the arms that were a part of their historic 2025 season.
Jakob Junis and Kolby Allard are free agents. Nic Enright underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss all of next season. Paul Sewald didn’t pan out as a Guardian and was traded to the Detroit Tigers ahead of the deadline. Trevor Stephan, who could have been an option for the Guardians at some point, never fully returned to form after his elbow surgery.
Then, of course, there is Cleveland’s superstar close, Emmanuel Clase, who was officially arraigned by the FBI on Thursday following Sunday’s indictment news.
When you consider all of those factors, the Guardians could be in a position where they need some more depth in the bullpen. Especially a veteran presence would be nice for Cleveland’s still relatively young reliever core.
There are some interesting bullpen names on the free agent market, including Devin Williams, Phil Maton, and Pete Fairbanks. However, knowing Cleveland’s track record, a trade for another arm could be the more likely route.
It’ll be interesting to see what kinds of moves the Guardians make this winter to ensure they have enough bullpen depth for the 2026 season.