Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi’s future could dictate Guardians’ 2027 plans

Last season Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi combined to make 51 starts for the Cleveland Guardians. Some of them were good, like when Cantillo tossed eight scoreless innings against the Astros on June 20 before or when Cecconi tossed six scoreless innings against the Mariners a week later. 

But there were also some of them that were bad, like when Cantillo only managed to go to two innings against the Nationals at the end of May or Cecconi’s multiple rough outings at the start of the season. 

That up and down production regulated both of them to the bullpen in the postseason, where they had pretty middling performances as the Guardians’ pitching staff started to leak oil. 

That postseason change hasn’t seemed to impact either of their long-term futures though, as Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel earlier this week that the Guardians still view both players as starters for the time being. 

The Guardians are going to need to bring it at least one external arm due to Foster Griffin hitting free agency, but the Guardians’ internal view of Cantillo and Cecconi could dictate exactly how many additions they bring in. 

Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi could be X-factors in the Guardians' rotation in 2027

Cantillo sticking as a starter makes sense considering he finished the year with a 3.52 ERA in 159 innings. Although he labored in the middle of the summer after getting off to a hot start, he finished the year with 15 scoreless innings across three appearances as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. 

It’s hard to imagine the Guardians would want to use that system across an entire 162-game season, but that strong finish to the season adds a bit more luster next to his name. Plus he’s still pre-arbitration eligible, which is always a benefit when dealing with the Guardians’ payroll constraints. 

Then there’s Cecconi, who has totaled 253 innings with the Guardians since the start of 2025 but has yet to put together a consistent season. 

He’s been able to stay healthy and even took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Royals in September 2025. But the 2026 season was more of the same when it comes to his production on the mound, as he finished in the 25th percentile or worse in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, strikeout rate, chase rate and whiff rate while allowing a .468 slugging percentage of his fastball. 

Cecconi showed a bit of success in the bullpen thanks to an increase in velocity, but he also missed a little less than a month due to some arm fatigue that seemed to stem from his move to the bullpen. 

The Guardians didn’t finish the season with a clear bridge/bulk reliever in their bullpen, though they may be more inclined to go with a younger pitcher like Austin Peterson or Yorman Gómez in that role over Cecconi, who is due for a raise in arbitration. 

Cleveland’s pitching staff is always going to be in good shape thanks to Carl Willis and Stephen Vogt being in the fold, but their trust in Cecconi and Cantillo could dictate how many new faces are in Goodyear once spring training starts. 

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