The Cleveland Guardians are in the playoffs for a third straight year, and with a few days before the ALDS begins, it’s a good moment to take stock of how they got here. The big names are easy to spot. What’s harder, and often more valuable, is identifying the relievers and role players who quietly held the whole thing together.
One of those arms is Erik Sabrowski, who turned a strong season into a much bigger piece of Cleveland’s bullpen picture. MLB highlighted him as “One player from every AL division winner that deserves more recognition: Guardians - LHP Erik Sabrowski,” placing him alongside outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. of the Tampa Bay Rays and reliever Steven Okert of the Houston Astros.
Sabrowski’s workload tells the story. He pitched in 60 games for Cleveland, which ranked fifth on the club, and that total could have been even higher if not for a stint on the injured list with elbow inflammation from late May until mid June. In 48.1 innings, the left-hander struck out 76 batters and finished with a 2.61 ERA.
He wasn’t operating alone, either. Sabrowski teamed with Tim Herrin to give the Guardians another layer in front of right-handers Hunter Gaddis and Matt Festa, all of them helping bridge the gap to closer Cade Smith. That group helped push Cleveland’s bullpen to a 3.54 ERA, sixth-best in the majors, and a 1.25 WHIP, which ranked ninth.
What makes Sabrowski’s rise stand out is how quickly he carved out a larger role. This was his third MLB season, but his path has been anything but ordinary.
Cleveland selected him in the Rule 5 Draft from the San Diego Padres in 2024, and after coming back from two Tommy John surgeries, he made his debut that same year. He then appeared in 33 games during the 2025 season.
Now he’s already been part of eight postseason games over the last two years, with more potentially ahead as Cleveland tries to make another run toward the World Series for the first time since 2016.
In Other News...
Guardians Have A Few Forgotten Names Who Could Crash Clevelands 2027 Plans
The Guardians are heading into the American League Division Series with the kind of roster fans know well, but the organizations long view is shaped by a few names farther down the depth chart. Right-hander Ben Lively has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery and pitched effectively in Triple-A, while Cooper Ingle has added value by moving between catcher and the outfield, giving Cleveland another flexible option to track.
Kahlil Watson is another player worth keeping an eye on as the club maps out its next wave. The young outfielder put together a strong minor league season and has already had a brief taste of the majors, which is enough to keep him in the conversation as Cleveland looks ahead to 2027 and beyond. For a team that has made a habit of finding contributors in unexpected places, these are the kinds of forgotten names that can quickly become part of the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Just Gave Cleveland A Huge Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams spent the regular season giving Cleveland a front-line arm to lean on, and the numbers backed up what the Guardians saw every fifth day. He led the American League with 248 strikeouts, finished 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 32 starts, and outpaced both Dylan Cease and Cam Schlittler in the strikeout race.
The encouraging part for Cleveland is that Williams did not fade as the schedule wore on. He sharpened in September, trimming his ERA and missing more bats while the Guardians were fighting for a playoff push, which only added to the sense that he was settling into the role they had been waiting for. For a club that has spent a lot of time searching for reliable rotation anchors, Williams just made the long view a little easier to picture. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Trade Deadline Looks Smarter As October Reality Hits Phillies
As Cleveland waits to make its postseason roster official, the early read on the clubs deadline work is encouraging. Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell and Foster Griffin are all expected to be included, giving the Guardians a chance to lean on the reinforcements they added when the market opened up.
Philadelphia offered a sharper contrast by unveiling its National League Wild Card Series roster without any of its deadline pickups, Caleb Kilian, Brooks Raley and Luis Arraez. Injuries have kept Kilian and Arraez out, while Raley was left off after a difficult stretch, a reminder that deadline deals can look good in July and much different by October. [Read more 🡒]