The Cleveland Guardians have plenty of talent on their roster right now. In fact, they may have more talent than they can deal with.
That’s a great problem to have. Manager Stephen Vogt will have to juggle to make sure everybody gets a chance, and rolling with a five-man rotation may not be the craziest idea for this team.
That’s the type of talent they have in their rotation. They seemed to be all set last season, even when they traded Shane Bieber. With that in mind, Guardians analyst Justin Lada believes that Joey Cantillo will now join the mix as well.
In the latest edition of the “Locked on Guardians” podcast, Lada claimed that Joey Cantillo will probably be the player who takes the biggest leap next season:
“I think the player, just due to the virtue of playing time and his role that we learned about the most in 2025, that can have the biggest impact on the 2026 roster is Joey Cantillo. What I’ve always liked about Cantillo is his changeup. I’ve always liked that pitch. It’s always been his best pitch, but he always needed the ability to set it up. You know, you need more than one pitch as a starter or a reliever. In 2026, the curveball emerged as a real secondary weapon. That’s a good sign for Cantillo. I’m really excited for him. Avoids a lot of loud contact, got guys to chase without whiffing, and it was the healthiest season he’s ever had. If he can stay healthy, keep the walks in check, add a little bit of velocity, I think we have from Joey Cantillo here is a legitimate No. 3 starter,” Lada said.
The table is certainly set for that to happen. Cantillo dealt with adversity quite well last season. He didn’t let that demotion back to Triple-A Columbus get to his head; he actually made the most of it to keep working on his stuff and getting more playing time.
Cantillo returned to the Guardians right in time for the most crucial time of the season. More importantly, he was right on point and looked like a veteran when it mattered most.
Now, it’s hard to argue with the fact that he may have earned his spot in the starting rotation for next season. In fact, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that he could even go as the second or third starter for this team.
The Guardians also have another promising hurler in Parker Messick. The fellow rookie also stepped up big time in the final stretch of the campaign, and he’s going to be another prime candidate to take the mound as a starter from the very start of the upcoming campaign.
And with another young star like Khal Stephen also waiting for his turn, this team should be all set for years to come.
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