Copyright cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 2025 Guardians rotation evolved from a question mark in April to a dominant force by September, when they effectively stopped allowing runs entirely. Now, as the organization looks ahead to 2026, tough decisions loom with more qualified starters than available rotation spots. Two names stand out as locks: Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee. Their performances have cemented their places atop the rotation, but which one gets the honor of taking the ball on opening day remains a compelling question. “Bibee should have started the opener this year. He got sick in Kansas City,” Paul Hoynes reminded listeners on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “I think Vogt gives the ball to Bibee again. I think he’ll be the opening day starter and I think Williams will take game two.” While Bibee posted a 4.24 ERA and 12-11 record, his consistency down the stretch was remarkable. The team won nearly every game he started in the final months of the season. But Williams might soon challenge for that top spot. “I think Gavin’s probably going to be an early season Cy Young candidate next year,” Hoynes predicted. “173 punch outs, three walks, .211 batting average against.” The third spot in the rotation seems earmarked for Slade Cecconi, who emerged as a revelation in 2025 with a 7-7 record and 4.30 ERA over 23 starts. “This is a guy that I think he’s just going to get better,” Hoynes said. “Really analytical guy, thinks about everything. Completely overhauled his delivery, his attitude, his approach to the game.” The real intrigue begins with the battle for the final two spots, where three left-handers — Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, and Parker Messick — present compelling cases. Allen, often overlooked, continues to deliver reliable performances that keep the team in games. “This is a guy that, for as much as everybody wants to count him out and wants to overlook him and forget about him, he can go out there and give you five innings and put you in a position to win,” Joe Noga noted. More Guardians coverage Shohei Ohtani’s historic 9 times on base headlines 18-Inning World Series epic Guardians face critical decision: Who becomes Stephen Vogt’s new bench coach Gov. DeWine says the MLB is heading a ‘microprop’ betting ban across pro sports: Capitol Letter Cantillo flashed dominance en route to becoming September’s Rookie of the Month, but his command remains inconsistent. His stuff, however, is undeniable. “If this guy can throw strikes, if he can just throw the ball over the plate, I think he’s going to be really, really successful,” Hoynes emphasized. “His stuff is so good, all he has to do is throw it over the plate because it’s moving every which way but loose.” Then there’s Paker Messick, who impressed in seven late-season starts with a fearless approach. “He’s really aggressive and he’s not afraid,” Hoynes observed. “He went 3-1, .272-ERA, struck out 38, walked 6. He works in the strike zone.” So who makes the cut? Hoynes predicts a rotation of Bibee, Williams, Cecconi, Allen, and Cantillo, with Messick potentially starting at Triple-A. However, trade possibilities could alter this equation, with Allen mentioned as a potential trade chip if Cleveland seeks hitting help. The Guardians’ pitching development factory continues producing quality arms faster than rotation spots become available — a good problem to have. The resulting competition should yield one of baseball’s strongest rotations in 2026, regardless of which five ultimately claim starting roles. As the offseason progresses, this battle will be one of the most fascinating storylines for a Cleveland team looking to build on its playoff appearance and challenge for a championship. Podcast transcript Joe Noga: Come back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes Hoynsey. The Orioles made it official on Monday morning. They announced Craig Alvarenez as their next manager. The Guardians had confirmed that Alvarez would not be back as bench coach in 2026. But we all sort of saw this coming. Actually, we saw this coming maybe even as far back as November of 21st. Signed on as part of Stephen Vogt’s coaching staff. To finally get that, that confirmation and that official status as the next manager of the Baltimore Orioles has to feel pretty good for albernaz, who’s. Whose 43rd birthday is coming up on Thursday. So kind of an early birthday present for, for the Massachusetts native. Just an all around good thing for Alby, a guy that he know we had grown really fond of over the last two years here in Cleveland. Paul Hoynes: Solid baseball guy, Joe. He’s been up for, you know, several different, you know, managerial jobs, including, I think he was a candidate for the Nationals job. This, that’s, that is still open right now. He could have had his choice of the Washington D.C. the, the Beltway teams, I guess. Joe Noga: Crab cakes or crab cakes. Which one are you taking? Paul Hoynes: That’s right. Oh, you know, you know, he’s really, really interesting situation for, for Albie. We talked about it a little yesterday. You know, a lot of great position players, you know, pitching questions. But he’s playing in a great ballpark with great fans that, you know, that will come out if, if they put, if they, you know, come back and, and start making a postseason again as they did what in 2020, 2024, they’ll pack that place and you know, really a good, good situation to go in as your first managerial job in the big leagues. Joe Noga: Yeah, the, the Orioles and Mike Elias, they’re, they’re head of baseball there. Just really sort of making, you know, overtures to Albanez, just about the, like you said, the kind of guy whose expertise and game management and that kind of thing is, is always thought very highly of as far as what the Guardians, you know, can, can sort of rest their laurels on here, the front office’s ability to go out and identify top talent in terms of coaches. So now they’re, they’re going to be in the market for a new bench coach, a new sort of brain trust there to support Stephen Vogt. They’ve, they’ve, they’ve seemed, they’ve seemingly given him all the tools over his first two years to succeed. And we talked a little bit about this yesterday. About how he’s going to be sort of flying without a net now the rest of the way, but chances are pretty good that they’re going to identify somebody. Do you think bringing up within the organization is a possibility or looking at the organization, or could it be a combination of both? Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think it could be a combination of both. I think it, you know, the comfort factor with the bench coach and a manager in Stephen Vogt is really important. I think Vogt has to, you know, you have to connect with that bench coach. I don’t know if it’s somebody on the current staff, you know, could Rugelitz o’ Door move in from third base? You know, he’s got a ton of experience, ton of managerial experience. Sandy Alomar has done the job, but, you know, he does such a great job job at first base and with the catchers. Would that, would, would he do that? Would they bring in somebody from the minors or, or is there somebody that vote likes from outside the organization? So we’ll have to see how that works out. But, you know, it’s definitely an important part to the coaching staff. And if you’re the best coach, Joe, you’ve got to have a thick skin, you know, because you’re bouncing ideas off each other. There’s got to be, there’s going to be some give and take and, and the game moves awfully, awfully fast. Everybody says baseball is, you know, the slow, the slow motion game, but when you’re in that dugout and you’re thinking two and three innings ahead, that game is coming at you, you know, like there’s, there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of shrapnel in the air. So you got to keep ducking, you got to keep ahead of the game. And that’s when the bench coach comes in handy for you. He’s, he’s got to be thinking right along with you and he’s got to be protecting your blind spot. Joe Noga: Yeah. But I’m thinking back over, you know, almost two full years of knowing and being around Stephen Vogt. You know, have you ever really seen him get angry or mad or at least maybe behind closed doors, but he hasn’t really shown like a, like an angry side. Like, if bench coach makes a suggestion that doesn’t work out, there’s no real back and forth that way. Steven Moat does a really good job of taking care of matters like in house and behind closed doors and not showing up his, his coaches, his teammates or anything like that. But yeah, I, even with the Guy who he’s. He was so comfortable with in. In Craig Alburnez. I never really, in the last two years have seen any sort of outbursts from Stephenville. What. He’s only been ejected a couple of times this year in his career. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, no doubt about that. I mean, he. He kind of takes things in stride. You know, I. He’s. And, yeah, I think maybe what. Has he been thrown out once, twice, you know, just, you know, so. And, you know, I think so. Yeah, definitely. I don’t see any, you know, I don’t see any, like, butting of heads, but I just think, you know, there’s got to be, you know, a way to, you know, transfer ideas and get your point across and be a listener. And I think, you know, voters said more than once said, you know, he’s still learning on the job now he’s two years into this, you know, but so I think, you know, you’ve got to get. He’s got to get a bench coach that, you know, can, you know, is. Is, you know, on. Maybe on the same footing, but, you know, can. Can make him better at his job. Joe Noga: Yeah. And if. If you’re looking for lists of names or anything like that, we really haven’t heard anything yet. But maybe as the. The weeks go on here, we’ll see some names start to surface or. Or hear some whispers, and we’ll. We’ll pass those along to everyone, uh, listening here. You know, uh, bit of housekeeping news. Paul Hoynes: Quick. Joe Noga: You know, heads up. Guardians. Athletic trainer Jeff Desjardins, a Maine native from. He’s a nice honor for him. He’s being elected to the Main Baseball hall of Fame. This is a guy who takes care of all the players and, you know, is the first guy out there when. When somebody gets a bump or a bruise or has an injury to take care of. And a nice honor for a guy who the organization really thinks highly of. Paul Hoynes: Jeff, is that he just finished his 16th season with the organization. You know, he’s. He is a head athletic trainer. You know, took over for Lonnie Solo, who was moved up to the medical director of the ball club. And it’s just a great guy. You know, you always see him around. He’s got the flat top, you know, he looks like. He looks like a trainer, man. He’s out there and he’s got a good sense of humor and he’s, you know, he’s kind of worked his way up through the organ, through the minor leagues. And this is. This is 25th season with the organization. Joe and the 16th in, in the big league. So this is a guy that’s been around that really takes good care of the players as you said. Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s a nice little honor for, for Jeff and, and that’s, you know, way to go there. I want to get into the big news from month from Monday night game three of the World Series in Los Angeles. And you know we’ve talked about it before the just how amazing Shohei Ohtani has been really throughout his career, but particularly in these playoffs. You know the statistics even when he’s, he’s struggling a little bit at the plate. A night like last night is, is pretty much unforgettable an 18 inning game. Hoyncy, have you ever seen games feel like they go 18 innings? This one actually went 18 innings 2:30 in the morning if you stayed up to watch it. The Dodgers outlast the the Blue Jays six to five on a walk off home run by Freddie Freeman in the eight inning record for a World Series game. You know, Shohei Ohtani reaches base nine times in the game, four for four at the plate, five walks. He had a string of four consecutive intentional walks where the Blue Jays just said nope, he’s not going to beat us. We’re not going to give him the chance. Just put him on first base every time he came to the plate. It just true spectacle if, if you will for game three of that World Series and the Dodgers find a way to win it. I just want you to take, yeah, just fifth. Paul Hoynes: Intentionally walked him a fifth time in the seventh inning. If they had, he wouldn’t have hit a home run and they may have won that game without going to 18 innings. Seren Anthony Dominguez, on orders from Toronto manager John Schneider told him to pitch around a Ohtani in the seventh and instead Dominguez threw a heater right down the middle. Ohtani hit it about 10 miles and I, I believe that tied the game up. This guy is on fire right now, Joe. And I think the only way you come back you combat that is by intentionally walking them since you know, definitely in most situations right now, Joe. For the postseason, Ohtani’s hitting.283 which you know for the postseason is good, but not the, the batting average said at a player like Ohtani you expect from. But get this, he has 15 hits in the postseason, two doubles, one triple, eight home runs. So 11 of his 15 hits have gone for extra bases. He’s got 14 RBIs and he is just, you know, in this is, this is. He’s he’s scheduled to pitch game four tonight and he is, this will be his first start since, you know, his, his, his unbelievable performance. I guess one, you know, one A or whatever. I don’t know how you rate these things, but in, in, in the clincher in the NLCS against Milwaukee, he hits three home runs, he pitches six scoreless innings and strikes out 10. So he’s going to the mound again tonight and who knows what he’s, I mean, this guy, there are no limits for this. Joe Noga: Yeah, we’ve seen what he’s capable of. He’s capable of, you know, six plus innings and 10 strikeouts in addition to whatever he does at the plate. 12:35 OPS for Ohtani. That’s what happens when all of your hits or the majority of your hits go for extra bases like that. It’s just super impressive. But perhaps, you know, rivaling Ohtani’s performance last night was Dodgers right hander Will Klein. We saw him go four innings, pick up the win. He struck out five. He allowed one hit and two walks in those four innings. And he was the 10th of 10 Dodgers pitchers to throw a baseball in that game. He came in and, and really he’s the reason why they were able to win that game because he, he gave them all those innings and, and extended things. You know, runners on base didn’t bother him. He pitched out of situations. And Will Klein, just a performance for the ages in relief for the Dodgers, really came out and, you know, 72 pitches, just an impressive outing for a team that had bullpen questions all throughout the regular season and even part of the postseason. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Dave Roberts had used everybody else, but Klein was the last reliever in the pen. Yamamoto, Yoshi Yamamoto was warming up in the bullpen. Joe, his Game 2 starter that threw a complet game was out there in the bullpen warming up. If, if it had gotten. The game had had proceeded into the 19th inning. Yamamoto was going back out there and Shane Bieber, who was scheduled to start tonight, was out in the Toronto bullpen. He wasn’t throwing, I don’t think, Joe, but he, he, you could see him manipulating his elbow and he was getting, you know, he was trying to get moving. You’re getting the blood flowing. So I don’t know if he was going to go or not, but it was, it was really, really interesting. It was, you know, one of those classic, you know, postseason games. The ghost runner is, is, does not count in the postseason, Joe. This is, this is real, you know, nuts and bolts baseball and just really unbelievable game. A record 19 pitchers were used in the ball game. You know, 10 by the. 10 by the Dodgers, as you said, nine by the Blue Jays. And there was not one double play turned in the game, Joe. There was 37 players left on base. Not one double play was turned. Joe Noga: And I think what, yeah, you said 37 combined runners left on base. Is that, was that a record, some sort of record for, for something that was just an insane number of baserunners that got stranded. I think about the number of times the base is loaded or runners in scoring position with, with two outs and nobody could come through with a hit. It was like watching the Guardians offense for, from, you know, July through August. I think sometimes where, you know, they, they get in so many positions to be able to score and then just unable to come up with those big, big late hits. You mentioned Yamamoto, but he threw 105 pitches in his complete game. Uh, in, in game two. Uh, you know, that was just three days prior. He was, he was going to go out there and pitch the ninth inning. Just. It goes to show you, you get to this point in the season and guys are going to, you know, maybe do things that they wouldn’t normally do in the regular season because they’re so close to achieving that goal. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, it reminds me of the Dodgers when they were playing the Mets I think in the nlcs. This is, you know, several years ago when Hershiser was still on the Dodgers, they had gone into extra innings. They had sent Hershiser back to the team hotel. He was scheduled to start the next game and they sent him back to the team hotel to get some rest. He’s listening to the game. When he gets back to the hotel, he’s listening to the game on TV or watching the game on tv. They’re going into extras. He takes a cab back to Shea Stadium just in case they need him in extra innings. I’m not sure if he, if he ended up pitching, but he went back. So that’s how crazy this is. When you, when you get into extra innings, the ghost runner is not a factor. And you know, it’s, it’s old time hockey. Then it’s like, you know, put the foil on and let’s go. Joe Noga: Yeah. And teams will, will resort to, you know, maybe strategies or tactics that you, you wouldn’t normally see. We didn’t, we didn’t see a lot of small ball sort of being played even with the ghost runner during the regular season. But now you get a runner on in extra innings and you were starting to see at least The Blue Jays were trying to bun him over and maybe, maybe squeeze home a run that way because it was so hard. Runs were at such a premium in this game, especially late after, you know, after the, the first nine innings and nobody, nobody scored. So just to see teams alter their strategies that way, I think is, you know, a pretty big indication of just how meaningful these games are here down the stretch in the World Series. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely. You know, Josh Schneider used 23 of his 26 players. I think the most players ever used in a World Series game just kind of emptied his bench. You know, he, I don’t know if it came back to hurt him, but, you know, they, they lost a couple of their big hitters. George Springer, you know, went out with a, you know, looked like an oblique injury and you know, he’s what, how many postseason home runs is he at? 23,24. So if he can’t come back from that, that’s going to really affect the rest of this series. Eric Lauer, the kid from Kent State who pitched there, did a great job coming out of Toronto’s bullpen four and two third scoreless innings, really gave him a chance to win. But they just, you know, Freeman was a little bit better and he’s been in that spot before and you know, he had to walk off. What, to walk off in Game 1? Yeah, and he did it again in Game 3 here. Joe Noga: So, you know, the Dodgers still can run three MVPs out there in their lineup every, every game. We talked about how tough that is to, to beat and compete with. All right, Hoynes, let’s shift gears just real quick. Want to talk about the Guardian starting rotation and what the prospects are for it for next season? We saw tremendous growth in 2025 from the beginning of the year through September when they basically just didn’t give up a run for an entire month. Uh, and we’re going to do a way too early starting rotation prediction. Only five spots. Unlike the, the six man rotation that they used for much of that month. We’re going to pick five spots and that means some people might have their feelings hurt. Who? I guess let’s start with the obvious. And there are two obvious candidates right now. As long as they’re healthy, Gavin Williams and Tanner Bybee. Just based on their performances alone last year and what we’ve seen out of them over the last several years, those should be the top two guys in the rotation. But I’m going to ask who gets the ball on opening day as a starter, Bybee or Williams? What’s your prediction right now. Paul Hoynes: That’s a great call, Joe. You know, Bobby should have started the, the opener this year. Got sick in Kansas City and who Ben Nicely at? No, who, who? Joe Noga: Yeah, Ben Lively. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Ben Lively started. Yeah. So by me got sick and, but I’m going. I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m saying Volk gives the ball to Bybe again. I think he’ll be the opening day starter and I think Williams will take pitch two. Joe Noga: Yeah. 4.24 ERA and 31 starts, 12 and 11 record. But if you, if you dig into some of the, the, the deeper stats on Bybe, I think, you know, there’s a lot more to like out of what he was able to do this year. You know, maybe he, he pitches more like the, the Bybee we’re used to seeing early on at the start of the season. But Gavin Williams, you know, probably a number one starter around a lot of teams in Major League baseball, just behind Bobby in the pecking order right now. Obviously, Gavin’s ability to transform and change his pitch mix throughout the season really benefited him down the stretch. Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think Gavin’s probably going to be early season Cy young candidate next year when the season opens, before the season opens. Went 12 and 5, 3.06 ERA, 31 starts high 167 and 2 third innings. You know, he had a breakout year, Joe. This is the year they were waiting for him. They’ve been waiting on 173 punch outs, three walks,211 batting average against Joe. Joe Noga: Wow. Paul Hoynes: I mean, he, you know, the only, you know, his own, he was his own worst enemy. You know, when it came to walks, that’s what hurt him. But if he can get that under control, he is, he’s going to be a handful. And Bybee pitched a career high 182 in a third inning. So this guy’s a horse. And he had, you know, great, you know, his one loss record wasn’t that great. He was 12 and 11. But going down the stretch, the Guardians won just about every game he played pitched. I would say in the last, his last 12, 13 starts, if I remember, if I’m remembering that right. Joe Noga: Yeah, he was, he was very effective. And the team, you know, really sort of took on a different Persona when, when he was on the mound, it was, it was reminiscent of what you would see in the past with, with Corey Kluber or Shane Bieber on the mound. You come to the ballpark, you know, just knowing that you’ve got a real good chance that night to win with the guy who’s, who’s taken the mound, number three spot in that five man rotation. You would think Slate Saccony would be the guy with the inside track, but you know, what are your thoughts on, on who could be the, the guy to take, take the ball in the number three spot in that rotation? Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think Saccony is a guy, I think he, it’s his job to lose almost. You know, he really kind of a revelation this season. 7, 7, 4.30 ERA, career high, 23 starts, career high, 132 innings. When he was on, he was really nine punch outs, 32 walks,247 batting average against. He had, you know, he had some problems keeping the ball in the park, but, you know, 24 home runs allowed. But, you know, this is a guy that I think we’re just seeing. I think he’s just going to get better. Joe, really analytical guy, you know, thinks about everything. Really took use of that downtime when he was on the IL and in spring training to just completely, it sounds like he completely overhauled his delivery, his attitude, his approach to the game. Really benefited from Cleveland’s pitching factory, so to speak. Joe Noga: Yeah. And what you heard out of him consistently was how appreciative he was to be with a team that sort of valued him for what he could do in terms of being a starter. It almost felt like getting out of Arizona was the best thing that could have happened to Slade Saccony. And, you know, Cleveland sort of reaped the benefits of that for a good stretch. So there’s your number three. And now we get to the lefties. Three lefties that come to mind. Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick. Let’s start with Logan Allen. This is a guy that, for as much as everybody sort of wants to count him out and wants to overlook him and forget about him, he can go out there and give you five innings and put you in a position to win. And, and we saw him do that with, with a little bit of consistency last year. Do you think he’s going to get a chance in 2026 to prove that he’s able to do that? Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think he will, Joe. Unless, unless they end up trading him. I think he could be an interesting trade chip if they make a move for a hitter. This is a guy, you know, I love, I love Logan Allen. He looks like a choir boy, but, you know, he really, he really has some. He’s really gutsy on the mouth. Joe Noga: He fools you. Paul Hoynes: He you know, he should have had at least 30 starts, made 30 appearances, 29 starts. You know, they skipped them a couple of times at the end, which he was not happy with. But I like that, Joe. I like that. I like a guy that’s, that’s upset that they’re skipping them after, you know, he’s been in the rotation a regular turn. Taking a regular turn, you know, for the majority of the season. Went 8 and 11 with the 4.25 ERA career high 156 and 2/3 innings. He, 2 strikeouts, 62 walks. So I think this is solid guy and like you said, he’s underappreciated. I think he kind of flies under the radar, but he gives you innings and that this is what this team needs. Joe Noga: He sort of reminds me of a poor man’s left handed Josh Tomlin, you know, the, you know, not necessarily the, the biggest in stature and you know, a guy who, you know, had it easy sort of coming up through the, the minor leagues and is sort of figuring his way in the, in the big leagues. And you definitely want to keep him around unless you trade him. You want to keep him around just in case because you know that you can call on him in a moment’s notice and he can go out there and give you his a good effort and a chance to win a game. We saw Joey Cantillo become the Rookie of the Month in September. I think that caught a lot of people by surprise. Just his, his performance on the mound. We’ve seen him lights out, unhittable. We’ve seen him struggle with his command and you know, throwing wild pitches in the postseason. What, Joey Cantillo is going to show up in 20, 26. Paul Hoynes: Joe, if this guy can throw strikes, if he can just throw the ball over the plate, I think he’s going to be really, really successful. You know, I loved what Carl Willis said. You know, his stuff, you know, in talking about Cantillo, he said his stuff is so good, all he has to do is throw it over the plate because it’s moving every which way but loose kind of. I mean, he’s got such great movement, you know, kind of falls in love with the change up sometimes, maybe overthrows it because that’s his best pitch. But he’s got to, he’s got to, you know, he’s got to concentrate on that fastball too. He’s got to throw that for strikes. Cantillo did a nice job in and out of the bullpen, in and out of the rotation. He went 5 and 3 with a 3.21 ERA, 34 games, 13 starts. Struck out 108 guys in 95 and a third innings. And the opposition hit.218 against him, Joe. So this is another guy that kind of puts himself in trouble when he, when he gets outside the strike zone. 42 walks, just a little bit like Williams, you know, a young guy still trying to find the strike zone. Joe Noga: And then we get to Parker Messick, who came up in September and really gave that rotation a shot in the arm, a boost. You can’t help but love what you’ve seen so far out of Messick on the mound. Obviously, the league didn’t really have a lot of time to adjust to him, so that might make things a little more difficult next year. But you like the aggressiveness, you like the fearlessness that he shows out there. What can we expect out of Parker Messick and, and will Parker Messick be a guy who, who gets a regular, consistent shot in that rotation? Paul Hoynes: Well, I think, you know, they brought him up for a reason, Joe. Late last season, Cantillo was pitching. Well, I thought they sent Cantillo back to Columbus. They brought Messick up to get a look at him, and he gave them seven, seven sterling starts. I thought, I mean, maybe one bad one in there, Joe. But you saw him, you saw him a lot. I mean, I thought he was aggressive. I got a, he got a lead. He was hard to catch. Pounded the strike zone, maybe, you know, he doesn’t throw really, really hard, but he’s really aggressive and he’s not afraid. What went. He went 3 and 1-272-era, struck out 38, walk 6. You know, the guy is, he’s, you know, he’s, he works in the strike zone. The opposition at.289 against him, but that didn’t deter him. You know, I like this guy, Joe. I don’t know if he needs a little more time at aaa, but it would not surprise me if he makes the opening day rotation. Joe Noga: Yeah, that aggressiveness in the strike zone did lead to that higher opponent batting average, but for the most part, he kept him in the ballpark and he really didn’t get hurt by that. You know, they didn’t score a lot of runs off of him. And I just like the way that he finished innings. You know, when he got even, when plays didn’t get made behind him, he, he would finish innings. So a guy that, that could really do a lot for you in the rotation. All right, so. So we have to come to a decision here. Three spots in that in that five minute rotation. Sound pretty good. Sound pretty set candidates for the final two spots. Who’s the, who’s the guy who gets left out in the cold? Paul Hoynes: I’m going with. Okay, we’ve got. I’m going with the Bybie Williams. I’m going with Allen, and then I’m going with. Joe Noga: Geez. Paul Hoynes: Oh, man. I’m going with Cantillo. Joe. I’m going with Cantillo. Joe Noga: So you had Bybee, Williams, Sacconi, Allen, and Cantillo forgot Saccony. Paul Hoynes: Yeah. Joe Noga: Oh, yeah. So there you go. Yeah. Barring a trade in this off season, I can see them keeping Logan Allen. And I’m going to go with Parker Messick over Joey Cantillo at this point, just coming out of the gate. Maybe they, maybe they put Joey Cantillo in the bullpen to start the season, and that’s something that he’s, he’s done in the past as well. So we’ll see where they go from there. All right, Hy, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We’ll have more to talk about if you get to the World Series tonight. Paul Hoynes: Good deal. Joe Noga: It went a little longer.
