The Cleveland Guardians fell just short of the World Series last season when they lost to the New York Yankees in the ALCS, showing that the team just needed a slight boost this offseason to have a chance to get over the hump in 2025.
Despite getting so close to the Fall Classic, the team hasn’t been overly aggressive during the winter.
However, Cleveland is being floated as a potential trade destination for one San Diego Padres star.
Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article headlining ten teams who could be in the market to trade for Padres starting pitcher Michael King, naming the Guardians as an option since the team still needs to make a big splash in the starting rotation.
“The Guardians are worth bringing up because they have yet to substantially improve their starting rotation. It ranked last in the American League for rWAR in 2024. They are nonetheless a strictly speculative possibility, as they have not been connected to King or any other notable hurler on the trade market. Plus, they’re always more likely to cut payroll than to add any,” Rymer said.
The only moves the Guardians have made to add to the rotation this offseason have been re-signing Shane Bieber, who is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and trading for exciting young righty Luis Ortiz from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who will help replace the losses of Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb in free agency.
Relying on this bullpen to once again be the best in baseball and counting on each of its core members to deliver 75+ appearances again is a tall order, but King would help take a huge load off their shoulders and make it less likely they crumble in October again.
NEXT: Bruce Drennan Says He's A Big Fan Of 1 Guardians Offseason Move
