The Guardians’ rotation has been carrying more than its share this season, and that workload is starting to look like a real issue.
Cleveland’s offense has gone quiet in recent games, and the bullpen has been uneven enough that the starters have had to be close to perfect just to keep the club in games. That kind of pressure adds up fast, especially when the same group keeps taking the ball over and over again.
“The rotation pitched the second-most innings in the American League,” Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes noted. “And if you go by the way they pitched against the White Sox, you know, they might be getting tired because they’ve used the same five guys over and over and over again.”
That’s why the usual deadline conversation around Cleveland centers on offense and bullpen help. Those are still the most obvious needs, but the rotation can’t be ignored either.
Parker Messick has already logged 106 innings after posting a career high of 138.1 last year between Triple-A and the majors. At his current pace, he could be nearing 180 by late September, which would be a heavy ask even before the postseason enters the picture.
Gavin Williams threw 167.2 innings in 2024, and his body appears built to handle volume. The question is whether his arm can keep matching that load.
Tanner Bibee has topped 170 innings in each of the last two seasons. Joey Cantillo, meanwhile, threw only 116.2 innings in 2025 across the minors and majors, and he is already up to 96. Slade Cecconi has reached 99 innings in 2026, closing in on the 132 he threw last year.
If Cleveland wants to protect both the health and the effectiveness of its pitchers, adding another starter and some bullpen depth makes sense. A sixth starter could open the door to a six-man rotation, a long-relief role, a piggyback setup, and other ways to ease the burden on a staff that has already done plenty of heavy lifting.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Have A First Base Decision Fans Cant Ignore
Ralphy Velazquez keeps making the Guardians take notice, and the timing could hardly be better for a club still sorting out first base. The 21-year-old, drafted 23rd overall in 2023, has been productive across two minor league levels and is carrying an .876 OPS, a strong enough line to keep him in the conversation as the season moves toward its stretch run.
Velazquez has also reached base in 30 straight games for Columbus, a run that only adds to the pressure on the front office to decide whether the organization wants to lean into its own prospect or look outside for help. Cleveland has already been weighing first base as a spot that could use a boost, and the next few weeks may determine whether the answer comes from within the system or from a move at the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Trade Deadline Focus May Be Bigger Than Fans Expected
The Guardians have steadied themselves with consecutive wins and are still very much in the AL Central race, but the trade deadline picture around them is starting to look broader than a simple bench tweak. With the offense short-handed and the lineup not getting enough from the first-base spot, the front office is being linked to a right-handed bat there, along with help on the pitching side as the club tries to keep pace in a tight division.
What makes this more interesting is how many different lanes Cleveland could explore if it decides to be aggressive. The injuries that have thinned out the offense have pushed the Guardians toward a search that could touch both the lineup and the staff, and the deadline conversation now sounds less like a luxury-shopping list and more like a response to how fragile the roster has become. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Revisit The Bailey Trade
The Patrick Bailey deal is still one of those trades that looks a little different every time Cleveland checks back on it. The Guardians sent pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and their Competitive Balance Round A draft pick to San Francisco to bring in Bailey, a move that was always going to be judged on whether the catcher could give the staff steadier work behind the plate.
So far, Bailey has done the part Cleveland needed most, giving the pitching staff a more dependable defensive presence while Wilkinson has kept moving through Double-A and Triple-A with uneven results. The draft pick the Giants received also adds another layer to the deal, since it turned into a high school left-hander in the first round, giving both sides something tangible to point to as the trade continues to age. [Read more 🡒]