The Cleveland Guardians rolled the dice on a promising yet unproven hurler last offseason. Fast forward to today, and acquiring Slade Cecconi may have been the right choice for this team.
Now, the former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher is looking to take things even further. As shown by Guardians Prospective on X, he’s already putting in some hard work in the gym to be even sharper next season.
Cleveland #Guardians 26yr old RHP Slade Cecconi putting in off-season work at @CresseySP in Florida.
Cecconi finished his 2025 regular season on a strong note over his last four starts helping the team make the playoffs
– 24.2(IP) 11H 6ER 6BB 18SO 2.19 ERA#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/vXcVqATmwN
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) November 22, 2025
The 26-year-old closed out the year in dominant fashion for Stephen Vogt’s team. Over his final four starts, he was out there for 24.2 innings of work, logging 11 hits with six earned runs, six walks, 18 strikeouts, and a 2.19 ERA.
The Guardians acquired Cecconi from the Arizona Diamondbacks last offseason. He was a bit of a gamble for a rotation that was in desperate need of help with Shane Bieber out nursing an injury.
He responded by posting a 7-7 record in 23 starts. Cecconi took the mound for 132 innings of work, fanning 109 strikeouts with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.189 WHIP. He looked more poised and in command than in his previous years, also posting a 0.8 WAR.
Now, with Stephen Vogt looking to shape his rotation, he’s a strong candidate to be one of the first guys to take the mound for this team. The Guardians have plenty of young talent and more than enough options to fill the starting rotation, but given the way Cecconi played, especially down the stretch, there’s no doubt that he will have a big role on this team this season.
NEXT: Bruce Drennan Shuts Down Guardians’ Free-Agent Hopes
