The Cleveland Guardians are always on the lookout for underrated, cheap pitching talent.
They boast one of the best bullpens in the league and a promising rotation, not to mention a deep pool of minor league arms striving for a chance.
Yet the Guardians know that having quality depth is the key to a season’s success.
That means always looking for a chance to add flawed, but talented hurlers without sacrificing many resources.
On Thursday, they applied this to perfection and claimed a potentially useful lefty off waivers.
“The Guardians claimed lefty Matt Krook off waivers from the A’s and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus. Ben Lively transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster, which is at 40,” team insider Tim Stebbins posted on X.
The Guardians claimed lefty Matt Krook off waivers from the A's and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus.
Ben Lively transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster, which is at 40.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 29, 2025
Krook, a former fourth-round draft pick in 2016, made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2023 after spending time with the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays organizations.
After a brief stint with the Yanks, he landed in Baltimore in 2024 and played for the Athletics in 2025.
Krook, who throws a sinker, a slider, a cutter, and a changeup, was a starter up until 2022 when he was converted to a reliever.
This year, he accumulated 14 innings with the A’s’ Triple-A team, logging a 3.21 ERA with 21 strikeouts, and 3.1 MLB frames, with a 5.40 ERA.
Control has kept Krook from being a stable contributor in a major league bullpen.
If the Guardians can help him harness his stuff and throw strikes more consistently, he could potentially carve out a role on the MLB team.
For now, he’s heading to Triple-A Columbus, but there is no denying he has loads of upside.
NEXT: Veteran Slugger Has Been An On-Base Machine For Guardians
