The Cleveland Guardians rotation has turned heads this year, with Parker Messick and Gavin Williams leading the way and Joey Cantillo pitching well, too. The bullpen, while passable, is more of an average unit.
In fact, the Guardians’ bullpen ranks 16th in baseball with a 4.12 ERA. It is firmly in the middle of the pack.
To improve, the unit needs reliable, high-ceiling arms. They just called Franco Aleman up to replace the struggling Connor Brogdon, and that’s a start. Cade Smith has gotten his act together after a rough start. However, Cleveland needs to get Hunter Gaddis going.
If Cleveland’s relief corps is going to reach the heights of recent campaigns, they need their setup men to pitch as he did in 2024, when he posted a 1.57 ERA, or 2025, when he had a 3.11 mark.
This year, he has a 9.00 ERA. Granted, it’s been just seven innings, which isn’t exactly a large sample. But he hasn’t looked good all season.
Speaking on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, team insider Paul Hoynes shared that he is concerned about Gaddis. And he has every reason to be.
“I think he’s a concern,” Hoynes said. “I talked to him a couple of days ago. He said he feels good. He was over the injury. He’s just — he chalks it up to: that’s baseball. But he’s obviously not himself yet. And I think when you have one of those, you’re playing catch-up because you didn’t have a full spring training.” Hoynes said on the podcast.
Some are questioning whether Gaddis, who missed most of March while dealing with a right forearm strain, is 100 percent healthy. If he says he is, the team has every reason to believe him. And if he is, he should be back to form eventually.
What’s probably happening is that he is still getting comfortable with his mechanics and body movements after the layoff. In other words, he is doing what he normally does in spring training, but with the stress of regular-season baseball.
It’s important to remember that Gaddis didn’t have a normal spring because of the injury, and that has, in all likelihood, been affecting him. If there’s no injury, he should eventually hit his stride and showcase the effectiveness of old.
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