Guardians Could Be In The Mix To Acquire All-Star Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians are moving toward the end of an uneventful winter. They have been criticized for their lack of activity, especially in addressing the shortcomings in their offense.

Improvements to the lineup do not look to be coming with spring training looming. However, Cleveland could be poised to make one of the biggest deals of the MLB offseason involving one of the game’s top starters.

Bleacher Report analyst Kerry Miller suggests that the Guardians could be in the mix to acquire All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, though they could face competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers, among others.

“First of all, if Peralta is on the move and it’s the Dodgers who acquire him, we riot. In general, though, we’re slightly buying the notion that teams are growing increasingly desperate to trade for Peralta, and that a deal could come together in the next couple of weeks. The Orioles, Diamondbacks, Guardians and even the Tigers would figure to be prominently in the mix, too, for an ace who only costs $8M in his final season before free agency,” Miller wrote.

Peralta would be a perfect way for the Guardians to add top-level talent without having to pay too much in salary. The right-hander has a more-than-reasonable price tag for someone coming off a career-high 17 wins and a career-low 2.70 ERA last season.

Milwaukee is sure to ask for a significant return in any trade, but perhaps not as costly as perceived, with Peralta eligible to become a free agent after this season. Cleveland, with its deep farm system and abundance of players at some major league positions, could have the assets necessary to complete such a deal.

Doing so could also keep Peralta from becoming an opponent in the AL Central, with the Detroit Tigers possibly interested in him as well. It may be highly unlikely for the Guardians to re-sign Peralta to the large contract he likely will command, but as a one-year rental, he might provide the boost needed to defend their back-to-back division titles and perhaps return to the World Series for the first time in a decade.

He would slot in at the top of a rotation that showed great potential late last season. Gavin Williams is a potential Cy Young contender, and Slade Cecconi, Tanner Bibee, and Parker Messick each showed talent that could keep them as fixtures going forward.

Adding Peralta to that staff would make the Guardians a formidable contender throughout the season and in any potential playoff series.