Cleveland Guardians Eager to Upgrade at This Position

The Cleveland Guardians were on the precipice of heading back to the playoffs for the first time in a decade last October, but came up short in the postseason once again.

Now, the focus is on where the team must improve over the next few months to get back to the ALCS, and hopefully beyond, next year.

With that offseason getting underway, the Guardians are in desperate search of one position in particular, and they aren’t hiding it: starting pitching.

President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti made it clear that the team is exploring all avenues, free agency or trade, to add more starting-caliber arms to the roster before next season gets underway.

“We’re looking to add starting pitching. We need more,” Antonetti said (via MLB.com). “Trade, free agency, if we can add a starter, we want to do that.” 

Looking at the numbers from Cleveland’s rotation, it doesn’t appear that this would be an immediate need for the Guardians to address. The team’s rotation logged a 3.77 ERA, which was the eighth-best in baseball, and a 1.26 WHIP, which was also top-ten.

The problem is the lack of depth in starting pitching throughout the organization.

The Guardians avoided any major injuries to their starting pitchers throughout 2026, and only needed six pitchers to make it through the regular season; seven if you count Logan Allen’s two starts in double-headers.

Cleveland’s pitching depth was the same issue in the middle of the season, which led the Guardians to acquire Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline.

Pitching development has always been a strength of Cleveland’s organization. What happened to that, and where did all of the Guardians’ arms go?

The Guardians are still one of the best in baseball at identifying and developing pitchers, but unforeseen circumstances have certainly impacted their current big-league depth.

The last time Cleveland needed to address the rotation, it traded for Luis Ortiz from the Pittsburgh Pirates. His trial in a gambling investigation is currently ongoing in federal court.

In a perfect world, prospect Khal Stephen would have made his MLB debut at the end of 2026, or early on in 2027, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in June, which could keep him out almost all of next season.

Especially considering Antonetti’s public comments, it seems more likely than not the Guardians will add at least one starting pitcher this offseason. However, it likely won’t be a big-name arm or a solidified Cy Young candidate. Cleveland just doesn’t operate that way.

Realistic free-agent options include re-signing Griffin, veteran Robbie Ray, or reuniting with Matthew Boyd. Intriguing trade candidates include Sean Manaea from the New York Mets or Mitch Keller from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The offseason has historically been a quiet time for Cleveland, but it’s setting up to be the opposite this time around.