There’s been a lot of talk about the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen this offseason. The front office has completely rebuilt the reliever core over the last few weeks, giving the position group some much-needed depth.
In the midst of all the re-shuffling, the Guardians do still have one arm in the bullpen they desperately need to have return to his reliable form next season: Tim Herrin.
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After a 2024 campaign in which Herrin logged a 1.92 ERA and ranked in the high 70th percentile in chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate, the left-hander struggled with consistency a ton in 2025.
Herrin finished last season with a 4.85 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, had a walk rate of 15.5 percent, and found himself optioned back to Triple-A multiple times throughout the year.
When Herrin is pitching to his fullest capability, he can be a strikeout machine, miss bats, and get the Guardians out of some tough jams. But when the 29-year-old doesn’t have his best stuff, as we saw a year ago, it can lead to batters getting on base at a high rate.
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Oct 1, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tim Herrin (29) reacts after striking out Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez (not pictured) in the seventh inning during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The good news for the Guardians is that Herrin did end the season on a high note. In the left-hander’s final seven appearances of the regular season, he only allowed two earned runs, three hits, while striking out eight batters and issuing just three walks.
Five of those games came against the Detroit Tigers, the exact team the Guardians were chasing for the top spot in the American League Central. Then, in the playoffs, Herrin pitched 1.1 innings and only gave up a single hit while striking out three batters.
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Hopefully, this strong finish will help Herrin head into the 2026 season with greater confidence that he can return to the 2024 version of himself.
Obviously, with Emmanuel Clase no longer being in the pitcher’s role, everyone in the bullpen slides up a spot. Cade Smith will be the closer, Hunter Gaddis and Shawn Armstrong will share setup duties, but Cleveland still needs someone to come out of the bullpen in the middle innings to get out of a jam and log a hold.
Herrin has proven he can be that pitcher in the past, and the Guardians need him to bounce back in 2026 for the team to have a complete bullpen next season.