All offseason, the Cleveland Guardians have made it a priority to add more depth to the bullpen for the 2026 season. So far, it appears they’ve successfully done that. However, there's always the possibility that the team may need more as the year progresses. 

Here are three Guardians starters who have the potential to make the jump to the bullpen at some point this upcoming season.

Joey Cantillo finished the 2025 season as a member of the rotation and excelled in that role in a small sample size. However, he also made 21 appearances out of the bullpen at the beginning of the season, too. As a reliever, Cantillo logged a 3.81 ERA and a 1.376 WHIP, and actually had better strikeout numbers. 

As good as the left-hander was as a starter, the bullpen is where he may end up at the start of the 2026 season. 

He’s out of minor league options, and if the Guardians want to keep Cantillo in the organization, he may need to go back to taking on the role as a reliever to ensure a roster spot and provide more depth for Cleveland.

Daniel Espino had the potential to be one of the top starting pitchers in MLB when he was selected in the 2019 Draft, but after many injuries, the right-hander's potential was never unlocked. 

Espino had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League a few months back, allowing no runs and a 1.500 WHIP in four appearances. Even though Espino started all four games, he only pitched a total of 4.2 innings. He clearly isn't built up to throw six or seven innings' worth of pitches. 

The idea of Espino being a part of a rotation may be in the past, but if he can still throw high 90s and low 100s, the 24-year-old could still find a key role out of Cleveland’s bullpen at some point.

Slade Cecconi might be the least likely of this group to make the bullpen jump after an overall successful debut season with the Guardians. That said, if Cleveland is looking for more reliever depth, the 26-year-old could be a candidate. 

Like Cantillo, Cecconi also had a history of coming out of the bullpen. Before being traded to Cleveland, Cecconi appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen with the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

It’ll be interesting to see how the rotation shakes out at the start of 2026, with the Guardians finishing 2025 with six starters. If Cleveland feels good about their starter depth, but still needs more bullpen arms, Cecconi could be an option to have in the bullpen.