The Cleveland Guardians are one of the best teams in baseball, but their rotation is, by far, their weakest unit.
The staff ranks 20th in MLB in ERA, with a mediocre 4.33 mark.
It’s definitely one of the areas to improve ahead of the trade deadline.
The organization made a move on Wednesday, but it wasn’t a trade: it was a free agent signing.
Interestingly enough, it was an old foe who used to start lots of games for the Detroit Tigers: left-hander Matthew Boyd.
Fans were quick to react to the news.
As it always happens, some of the opinions were positive and others were negative.
Many people liked the fact he came for cheap and has upside and experience.
They think that Cleveland’s excellent player development and coaching staff can get the best out of Boyd and turn him into a reliable contributor.
If anyone can get the most out of Boyd, it's CLE.
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) June 27, 2024
CLE staff will get best outta Boyd
— Wizard of Odds Show (@WizardOddsShow) June 27, 2024
Matthew boyd is ready for those innings
— James M (@JamesMa94416365) June 27, 2024
Nobody is expecting Boyd, who has a career 4.94 ERA in 868.2 innings (most of which came with the Tigers), to be an ace.
However, he could become a solid innings eater in the backend of the Guardians rotation, where the team has struggled to find consistency from the likes of Logan Allen, Carlos Carrasco, and Xzavion Curry.
Some people aren’t too optimistic and are criticizing the team for not addressing the position with a more established player.
He’s washed. It’s time to sign Bauer.
— Jonny Nomadic (@JonnyNomadic) June 27, 2024
Hmmm questionable very questionable
— DabaDeejay 🔥 🐜 OG (@dj_ohio) June 27, 2024
Dolan’s Discounts strikes again #selltheteam
— Rick Moskal (@thisguyrickm) June 27, 2024
In any case, the upside is solid and the risk is minimal, given the cheap nature of the signing.
In other words, if it doesn’t work out, there isn’t much harm to the organization and if it does, the Guards might have their new fifth starter.
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