GOODYEAR, Ariz -- The Guardians entered Spring Training this year knowing they inevitably would have to make a tough decision with their starting rotation. Cleveland had six pitchers and five spots available. On Saturday, that picture became clear.
The Guardians optioned lefty Logan Allen to Triple-A Columbus, a move that penciled in the five pitchers who will comprise the club’s season-opening rotation. Behind Opening Day starter Tanner Bibee will be Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo and rookie Parker Messick.
The club has not determined the order behind Bibee, who will start Thursday's season opener against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
“Logan has been a huge part of what we've done over the last few years, and he'll continue to do that. It just won't be on Opening Day,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “It's really difficult.”
Allen won the Guardians’ fifth starter job last spring and recorded a 4.25 ERA in 30 games (including 29 starts). He logged a 3.22 ERA in 22 1/3 innings over four starts in September, when the Guardians surged to the AL Central title behind the dominance of their six-man rotation.
Cleveland’s rotation recorded a 2.60 ERA in September (second in MLB) and tossed 159 innings (first). The Guardians entered camp this year knowing someone from that group was going to be the odd man out.
“Logan is a Major League starter,” Vogt said. “He is not a Triple-A starter. He is a Major League starter. We just don't have room for six.”
Allen arrived in Arizona earlier than a typical season before he represented Panama in the World Baseball Classic. He made four starts in Cactus League play, two on each side of the WBC. Allen allowed 20 runs on 25 hits over 10 innings -- though the bulk of that damage came on Friday. The lefty was charged with 12 runs on 14 hits over 2 1/3 innings against the Mariners.
With four exhibition games remaining entering Saturday, the Guardians made their ultimate decision.
“We knew that today was going to be a hard day wherever we landed,” Vogt said. “Unfortunately, Logan is the one that we're optioning to Columbus. But we know it's going to take more than five starting pitchers to get through this season.
"The beauty of it is we know that we have at least one [starter] -- if not more -- that can come up and jump right into the rotation and help us win games.”
The rotation did not necessarily come down to Allen or Messick, though Cantillo is out of Minor League options and Cecconi (who's had a strong spring coming off his foundation-building 2025 season) has just one. Allen entered camp with two and Messick had three.
Messick (who’s ranked as the Guardians’ No. 5 prospect and No. 95 overall by MLB Pipeline) made his MLB debut on Aug. 20 this past season. He recorded a 2.72 ERA in 39 2/3 innings over seven starts, with 38 strikeouts and six walks. The Guardians were impressed by his mentality, and that carried over into this spring.
“He came in and hit the ground running,” Vogt said. “Parker specifically threw two or three times on the backfields, and you wouldn't have known it. He was pitching like he was pitching in Game 6 of ALCS.
"Just to be able to have that mentality, it's not easy for everybody. But Parker is going to take the ball and pitch whenever his name’s called.”
The rotation order is currently aligned as Bibee, Williams, Cecconi, Cantillo and Messick. Williams all but assuredly will start the second game of the season, on Friday against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Cecconi is starting Monday’s exhibition game against the D-backs at Chase Field, and Cantillo is scheduled to piggyback him as the Guardians look to get both of them some work. Messick is slated to start Tuesday against Arizona.
No matter the final order, the Guardians’ starters will look to pick up where they left off last season. It’s unfair to expect the rotation to deliver the numbers we saw in September, but there’s a good foundation with this group.
“They did some historical things in September,” Vogt said. “Numbers-wise, we can't control that. All I know is that those guys are going out there right now, working their backsides off and executing, and that's all we can ask.”