The Cleveland Guardians made some moves ahead of the non-tender deadline and also shortly after it.
They agreed to terms with Ben Lively, Triston McKenzie and Sam Hentges for 2025, and decided to non-tender Connor Gillispie and George Valera.
Additionally, they worked out a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates involving a reliever.
We announced a trade with the Pirates earlier this evening.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ICkQKhgxwp
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) November 23, 2024
Peter Strzelecki is now moving to Pittsburgh to play for the Pirates.
In exchange, the Guardians are receiving some cash considerations.
We announced a trade with the Pirates earlier this evening.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ICkQKhgxwp
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) November 23, 2024
It’s unclear what the “cash considerations” mean or if it is bonus pool money or just straight cash.
Cleveland had also traded fellow reliever Eli Morgan in the last few hours, to the Chicago Cubs.
Morgan is a more established arm who can help the Cubs, and while Strzelecki lacks the same track record and upside, there is talent in his arm.
In 2024, the righty posted a 2.31 ERA in 10 games with the Guardians, accumulating 11.2 frames and striking out nine.
In 83.2 career innings, he boasts a solid 3.44 ERA.
He offers a stable floor and a relatively low ceiling.
That’s precisely why he works out just fine for the Pirates, who are looking for relief stability.
The Guardians, on the other hand, are shooting for sheer upside when it comes to relievers, and it’s clear that the likes of Franco Aleman, Andrew Walters, Nic Enright, Erik Sabrowski and others have more potential than Morgan and Strzelecki.
The Guardians are building another incredible bullpen that could be even better than last season’s unit.
Yes, that would be incredibly difficult to pull off, but they seem destined to do so.
NEXT: Guardians Agree To Terms With Injured Reliever
