Location, location, location are the three most important factors in selling a property, according to the real estate agent bible.
For the Guardians, it’s sort of the same thing. The 13 most important factors to their reaching the playoffs are pitching, pitching … pitching.
“I’ve never felt like this with our starting pitching going into a season,” Stephen Vogt, in his third season as manager, told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz., during spring training. “Year One, a lot of uncertainty. Last year, a lot of uncertainty. I feel like this year, we have an abundance of certainty, which is going to be a different dilemma and problem. All of these guys are throwing the ball excellently.”
The Guardians were 10 1/2 games behind Detroit on Sept. 1 last year. They went 20-7 and ended up 88-74 to win the AL Central by one game over the Tigers.
A huge part of the Guardians’ September success was the collaborative decision by Vogt, pitching coach Carl Willis and the front office to go with a six man rotation of Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen and Parker Messick down the stretch. Every game was stressful. Starting every sixth day instead of every fifth gave the pitchers more time to recuperate.
All six were with the Guardians when they opened spring training last month in Goodyear, Ariz. Allen was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on March 21. Messick beat Allen out for the fifth spot in the rotation.
“Logan is a huge part of what we’ve done over the last few years,” Vogt said. “He’ll continue to do that. It just won’t be on opening day.
“It’s really difficult (to demote a player). We knew this was going to happen. We talked about it from the beginning of camp — really through the winter. After what we saw these six guys do last September, we knew today was going to be a hard day wherever we landed. … Parker had a phenomenal spring. He came in and hit the ground running.”
Not many people knew much about Cecconi before the 26-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Diamondbacks in December 2024 for slugging first baseman Josh Naylor. Cecconi in an interview from early March recalled arriving at spring training last year with a mission to learn the names of his new teammates. Now he is one of the gang. He relishes the grind of a long season and enjoying the journey with the Guardians’ tight-knit pitching group.
“We’re all extremely close and internally motivated,” said Cecconi. who was 7-7 with a 4.30 ERA in 23 starts last season. “We’re feeding off each other’s motivation. Competition always brings out the best in people. But the truth is, all six of us will contribute to this team and make important pitches over the course of 162 games in the regular season and hopefully another (22) playoff games.
“Opening day is opening day, but this is a marathon. Regardless of the 26 on the roster on Game One, you never will see the same 26 on Game 162. We’re pushing ourselves to be where we want to be in November and not April 1.”
Williams (12-5, 3.08 ERA in 2025) and Bibee (12-11, 4.24) are the co-aces of the pitching staff. Cantillo bounced between starter and reliever last season. He started 13 games and appeared in relief 21 times. He finished 5-3 with a 3.21 ERA.
Vogt waited until less than a week before the first game to declare Bibee will start on opening day when the Guardians and Mariners meet at 10:10 p.m. March 26 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Guardians’ home opener at Progressive Field vs. the Cubs is set for 4:10 p.m. April 3. The game is sold out.
Bibee signed a five-year, $48 million contract extension on March 22 last year. Williams deserves to be rewarded in a similar manner.
Williams was outstanding when the Guardians needed him most, going 3-1 in August and 3-0 in September. He said during a spring training interview earlier this month that he altered the way he approached pitching.
Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams is taken out of the game in the second inning of a game against the Dodgers on Feb. 24 in Phoenix. (Brynn Anderson – The Associated Press)
“I just want to build on what I did last year and start this season like it,” he said. “I wasn’t being too fine (in August and September). By that, I mean I think of the plate as halves and not thirds. The more the catcher is over the white for me, the bigger the miss can be.
“I don’t necessarily want to throw it down the middle, but the more I can think about half of the plate rather than a third, it’s going to help me and the misses are going to be a lot smaller than what it was last year.”
The Guardians fortified their bullpen in the offseason with the additions of Shawn Armstrong, Collin Holderman and Connor Brogdon. They claimed reliever Peyton Pallette from the White Sox in the rule five draft.
Emmanuel Clase, the all-time saves leader in Indians/Guardians franchise history (182) is history. He was put on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 26 last year while MLB investigated allegations he rigged pitches to benefit bettors wagering on prop bets. He is still on leave, but no longer being paid, per an agreement by MLB and the players’ union.
Cade Smith took over as the closer when Clase was banished and finished with 16 saves. He will be the primary closer in 2026, Vogt said. But even though the Guardians are missing out on Smith as a setup man to get to Clase, the additions to the bullpen should allow Cantillo to remain in the rotation permanently. Cantillo was 2-0 in September last year.
Cade Smith throws during a Feb. 14 workout in Goodyear, Ariz. (Chris Carlson – The Associated Press)
Cantillo, by the way, was acquired from the Padres on Aug. 31, 2020, when he was 20 years old. It was the trade in which the Indians (at the time) traded pitcher Mike Clevinger and outfielder Gregg Allen to San Diego for outfielder/first baseman Josh Naylor, catcher Austin Hedges, starting pitcher Cal Quantrill, infield prospect Gabriel Arias, shortstop Owen Miller and Cantillo
There was no minor league baseball in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the trade, Cantillo last pitched in 2019 with the Padres’ low-A and High-A affiliates when he was 19 years old. It took until 2023 for Cantillo to make it to the Guardians, but the 26-year-old lefty has found a home.
“I think for the most part the process has been good,” Cantillo said after a spring training outing. “I think we’re doing a good job developing the curveball. I’ve been throwing my fastball over the plate well.”
The Guardians were quiet in the offseason when it came to adding hitting to the lineup until Feb. 22, when they signed veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. Hoskins, who turned 33 on March 17, would be paid his $1.5 million salary only if he made the team.
The bullpen additions were planned to give Vogt options to mix and match. Erik Sabrowski, Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, Smith and Hunter Gaddis are holdovers from last year’s relief corps. Gaddis, however, had a setback early in spring training when he experienced right forearm tightness during his Cactus League debut on Feb. 27. He is beginning the season on the injured list.
Armstrong, 35, is the most experienced of the relief arms added to the bullpen. Fans with good memories might remember he broke into the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians in 2015 as a relief pitcher. He has since played for the Mariners, Orioles, Rays, Marlins, Rays again, Cardinals, Cubs and Rangers.
“Anytime you can get a proven bullpen arm that’s been durable, it’s a huge advantage,” Vogt said. “For Shawn, coming back to Cleveland, he’s really excited working with Carl and the rest of our pitching group.
“He’s going to play a huge role in our bullpen. He adds some veteran leadership to that group. He’s a very bright person. He knows his arsenal. He’s going to contribute in a lot of ways, especially in the later innings.”
Armstrong is not slowing down. He appeared in 71 games with the Rangers last year. He closed out 22 games and recorded nine saves while posting a 2.31 ERA. He could be Vogt’s Plan B for a closer when Smith needs a night off.