Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Slade Cecconi Not Bothered By Team's Quiet Offseason

The 2026 offseason for the Cleveland Guardians may have frustrated the fans, but the players loved it.

Following a 2025 campaign where the Guardians defied all odds, marching back from 15.5 games to win the American League Central, that core group of players is returning for yet another campaign to essentially run it back.

In a recent discussion on the Foul Territory show, starting right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi echoed the sentiment that the players weren't worried about the lack of moves the team made throughout the offseason.

He instead said that the team got so close last year that they were excited to see there weren't many changes.

What Cecconi said about last year's Guardians and the team's future

"The whole team last year, but especially that September group, became so close through what we accomplished," Cecconi said. "We were pretty excited when we found out that that group was going to be the team we went with into next year [2026].

"We bonded so tightly, and we formed really close relationships."

That tight-knit bond obviously helped lead the team to success, finishing the 2025 campaign with an 88-74 overall record. Multiple players on the team, both bats and arms, had some of the best months of their careers in September as the team was amid that historic push for the division title.

"We were just excited that the same group of guys that brought us to a division title were going to be back in the locker room," Cecconi said.

Last season, Cecconi put together one of the best campaigns of his career, posting a 4.30 ERA across 23 starts. He also posted an incredible 1.189 WHIP with just 2.2 walks allowed per nine innings.

Slade Cecconi isn't bothered by the Guardians not bringing in any big-ticket free agents.

"We were just excited that the same group of guys that brought us to a division title were going to be back in the locker room." pic.twitter.com/6SUWDDmoMB
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 18, 2026

The 2026 Guardians

This year's group of players is very, very similar to the 2025 campaign.

Outside of a few random bats and arms that struggled and were moved on from, the group of players that helped lead this team to such a successful year are back to return.

And while that's concerning to many, the front office has been very vocal that improvements were made throughout the offseason. They've also specified that not making big signings allows them to play into the prospects and youth the team has available.

"We are a young team," general manager Mike Chernoff said. "We have been one of the youngest teams in baseball for years. We have to do things differently.... We have to do it through scouting and development."

The starting pitching staff alone, consisting of Cecconi, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo, averages out to an age of 25 years old. Cecconi and Bibee are the oldest at 26. This young group of pitchers still has time to grow, and if they continue to bond, they will only get more comfortable and efficient over time.

The rest of the team is also really young, with the only players over the age of 30 being Connor Brogdon, Austin Hedges, Matt Festa, Shawn Armstrong and Jose Ramirez. This year, the front office is expected to call up numerous 20-22-year-olds to add to that bunch, marking another wave of talented youngsters.

Especially if these players continue to stick on the team together and develop, there's a real chance the Guardians are building towards dynasty territory.