In November of 2024, the big question facing the Cleveland Guardians organization was how to fix and add depth to the starting rotation.

Even though the team was fresh off a trip to the ALCS, the rotation was pieced together throughout the season, and the bullpen picked up the slack not only to cover innings but also to help the rotation in high-leverage moments.

Now, a year later, the script has flipped.

Even though Cleveland is admittedly looking for ways to add depth to their reliever core, the rotation looks like it’s in a solid spot, not just for 2026 but for the next few seasons.

Cleveland’s current rotation options for Opening Day right now are:

• Gavin Williams

• Tanner Bibee

• Slade Cecconi

• Parker Messick

• Logan Allen

• Joey Cantillo

That doesn’t even include prospects Austin Perterson, Daniel Espino, and Kahl Stephen, who could be options at some point next summer, or earlier.

Mike Chernoff recently pointed out that the rotation’s improvement came “Obviously, just through development of some of our guys, and we made trades.”

It was a rough start for the rotation in 2025, but the group figured it out after the All-Star Break, especially in September during Cleveland’s last-minute playoff push.

“The second half of the season, we were in the top five in ERA. in all of baseball and starting pitcher ERA, and so we feel significantly better about not just the present, but the future of those guys, with essentially all of the six guys that finish the season in the rotation for us with us for at least the next three years,” said Chernoff.

After the All-Star Break, Cleveland’s starters registered a 3.59 ERA, which was the third-best in the American League. A lot of that had to do with Williams finally breaking out as the former first-round pick he is, dropping his ERA to 2.18 during the second half of the season.

A team can never feel too comfortable with its rotation. You never know when a player will go down with an injury or when regression simply kicks in. That said, the Guardians should feel optimistic about the position group moving forward.