The Cleveland Guardians don’t have a perfect organization, but one area where they excel is pitching development.
That made Chris Aontetti’s comments at GM meetings slightly shocking when he said the Guardias were willing to go outside of the organization for bullpen help.
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Here are three reasons why Cleveland needs to improve their bullpen.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Emmanuel Clase is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice, and there’s a very real possibility that he never throws a pitch in MLB again.
Clase has racked up 182 saves over his six-year career, nearly all of those coming with the Guardians.
Yes, Cade Smith seamlessly stepped into the closer role, but now the Guardians need another setup man to contribute during the innings Cade previously did.
Speaking of Cade, we all know he’s one of the best relievers in baseball, but he’s also been one of the most taxed arms in the game, too.
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In 2025, Smith threw 73.2 innings, which ranked fifth-most in the American League. It was a similar story in 2024, with Cade throwing 75.1 innings, which also ranked fifth-most.
Cade’s counterpart, Hunter Gaddis, has been just as heavily used over the last two seasons as well. In 2024, Gaddis was the sixth-most used reliever in the American League, and in 2025, he was the 23rd.
While this heavy usage hasn’t caught up with the Guardians yet, one has to think it could at some point, and Cleveland must be prepared for it.
Oct 1, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
For as good as Cleveland’s bullpen has been over the last few seasons, there is one area where they must improve: more strikeouts.
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In 2025, the Guardians were right in the middle of the pack with 571 strikeouts from relievers. A lot of that is thanks to Cade’s 104, which was second-most in baseball.
Why the Guardians Need Bullpen Help This Offseason. If Cleveland is going out of the organization to get another arm for the bullpen, they should be targeting pitchers with a high strikeout rate. Clearly, this is an area they need to improve upon.