Carl Willis’ return confirms Guardians' pitching will continue to dominate in 2026 

It’s hard to talk about the Guardians’ pitching factory without talking about pitching coach Carl Willis. The 64-year-old’s time with Cleveland spans three managers, three Cy Young winners and countless quality starts from Cleveland’s rotation. 

And, after spending a couple weeks mulling over his future, news leaked out this weekend that Willis is planning on returning as Cleveland’s pitching coach in 2026. Manager Stephen Vogt had previously said the “ball was in his court” when it came to Willis’ return and that he’d want him as his pitching coach “as long as he’s here.” 

The 2025 season was one of Willis’ finest, as he helped lead a Guardians pitching staff that had to navigate two suspensions, multiple MLB debuts and players shifting between roles. 

With Willis back in the fold, the Guardians pitching staff should have no problem keeping their dominance going next season. 

Carl Willis will be back with the Guardians after mulling over future 

This isn’t the first time that Willis has taken some time to decide on his future, which makes sense considering his age. The grind of the 162-game MLB season can be a lot on everyone involved in the game, let alone a 64-year-old who has to spend six months away from home. 

The 2026 season will make Willis’ 16th season as Cleveland’s pitching coach, and his ninth straight in his current Cleveland tenure. He initially served as Cleveland’s pitching coach under Eric Wedge from 2003-09 before returning in 2018 under Terry Francona.

The Guardians ended up finishing fourth in baseball in ERA (3.70) despite having to use 26 players due to injuries and suspension. Tanner Bibee led the way with 182 2/3 innings and led baseball with two complete games and one shutout. 

He struggled at the start of the season but caught fire down the stretch. He’ll look to carry that momentum into 2026. Gavin Williams took a huge jump, Slade Cecconi impressed in his first season in Cleveland and rookies Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick didn’t seem fazed during their stints in the Guardians’ starting rotation. 

Cleveland’s pitching staff took a huge blow in July when Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were suspended, but the Guardians managed it as well as any team could thanks to some strong performances from players like Cade Smith, Messick and Cantillo. 

Another thing going in Cleveland’s favor will be the amount of continuity among the pitching staff. Every member of the Guardians’ starting rotation will be returning (in fact they may be too many starters) and almost everyone in the bullpen will be back outside of Jakob Junis (who could come back in free agency). 

While the  Guardians made some (unwanted) history by making the postseason with a historically inept offense, their pitching staff was able to shoulder the load across the second half to help set the Guardians on the path for the postseason. 

With Willis back in the fold, things should be just as good, if not better, in 2026.