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CLEVELAND — Exceptional consistency was the backbone of the 2026 Rangers in the streak.
That continuity is one of the reasons why bulking up is one of Cleveland’s main offseason goals.
“We want to add starting pitching. We need more,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters, including MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas this week.
“Trade, free agency, if we can add a starter, we want to do it.”
Antonetti noted that this is a different situation than two years ago. The Rangers entered the 2024-25 season concerned about the quality and depth of their starting outfield. Adding rotation help wasn’t just a goal, it was a pressing need. Cleveland eventually traded for Slade Cecconi and Luis Ortiz and re-signed right-hander Shane Bieber.
The guards have enough depth to build a rotation next season. But they want to add to their selection.
Before a July 18 doubleheader against the Pirates prompted the Rangers to recall Allen from Triple-A Columbus, Cleveland was the only team to use five starters.
That consistency is a testament to the preparation of the pitchers and the Rangers coaching staff. However, it cannot be believed that this will be repeated in the next season.
“We were together from an organizational point of view [two years ago] We didn’t know what we had and we weren’t sure who was ready to be a capable and reliable Major League player,” Antonetti said. “We’re not at that point. We just have to make sure we add to our options.”
By the way, the Guard’s in-house options include Allen, Bibi, Cantillo, Cecconi, Messick and Williams. Messick and Williams were the anchors this past season and provided a good foundation. The guards are hoping Bibee can get back on track after a season in which he was out of the rotation trust circle in the playoffs.
The guards have not determined if Espino will play a starter or reliever role. Before he reaches the Majors as a reliever at 26, they want to work with what makes the most sense in terms of workload and their pitching staff after missing most of the 2022-25 season due to two right shoulder surgeries.
All that to say, there is room to add someone to enhance this mix.
Griffin figures to have a healthy market and could be a candidate for a reunion after successfully returning to MLB in 2026 after pitching in Japan the previous three seasons. The 31-year-old earned an All-Star selection with the Nationals and had a 3.06 ERA in 129 1/3 innings in 22 starts before the Guardians acquired him on Aug. 3.
Griffin had a 5.19 ERA in 43 1/3 innings in nine starts with Cleveland, though that was broken by a Sept. 9 appearance against the Orioles (eight earned runs, over 2 1/3 innings). In his other seven regular-season starts with the Rangers, the lefty posted a 3.73 ERA in 41 innings, followed by a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings in three postseason appearances (including one start).
“There were times when he wasn’t at his best in the early weeks,” Antonetti said. “He’s had some things that he’s worked on mechanically. Those things have gotten better as the season has gone on and I think we’ve seen a really good version of Foster in the postseason and he’s shown that he can be a really impact player in the big leagues.”