Predicting the Guardians Opening Day Bullpen, Pre Spring Training

The Cleveland Guardians were active this offseason in an area that not many thought they needed to be: the reliever market.

The front office insisted that they needed more bullpen depth, and that’s exactly what they got, adding six new pitchers into the organization on Major League and Minor League contracts, and through the Rule 5 Draft.

However, the Guardians obviously can’t take all of those pitchers, including the one already on the roster, with them into Opening Day.

That said, this is who I think will be in Cleveland’s bullpen on Opening Day:

There aren’t many surprises with the first three mentioned; Cade Smith will be the closer, and Hunter Gaddis and Shawn Armstrong will be Cleveland’s go-to arms in setup situations.

After that, it gets interesting. 

Colin Holderman is coming off a rough 2025 season, but is just two years removed from a 2024 campaign in which he had a 3.16 ERA and a strikeout rate of 25.1 percent with an average fastball velocity of 97.2 mph.

Even if he struggles a bit in spring training, Holderman deserves a longer look into the regular season, too. 

The Guardians have a couple of different left-handed options to choose from, but Erik Sabrowski ultimately has the highest ceiling out of all of them. The 28-year-old has a 1.84 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with a strikeout rate of 34.7 percent last season.

Cleveland will need to make some tough decisions with the last three spots in the bullpen.

Matt Festa may not be an All-Star, but he ate up a bunch of innings for the Guardians a year ago and was one of Cleveland’s most used arms in any situation. He’ll likely make the roster for that versatility alone.

Connor Brogdon and Peyton Palette are the two pitchers with the most to prove during spring training, but they still have a clear path to the Major League roster.

The Guardians likely won’t give up on Brogdon after signing him to a major league contract over the offseason, and Pallette either makes the roster or gets sent back to the Chicago White Sox as a Rule 5 Draft selection.

If there are any underperformances or injuries throughout camp, here are some other names to keep an eye on who could possibly work their way into the bullpen either on Opening Day or at some point throughout 2026:

The Guardians knew they needed to add depth to the reliever core, and they’ve certainly done just that.

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.