The Cleveland Guardians could use some firepower. Conversely, they might have more than enough pitching.
That puts them in a solid position for this offseason. They’ve never been the type of team that aggressively pursues free agents, but they’re always quite active in the trade market.
With that in mind, Justin Lada of Locked on Guardians had a rather interesting proposition. With Logan Allen potentially being the odd man out in the rotation, he thinks they could send him to the St. Louis Cardinals to get their hands on Brendan Donovan:
“It is a very seller-friendly market if you’re trading any pitchers. The Guardians could get a solid return for Allen if they want to flip him. They could find a controllable outfielder. If you can get a platoon bat who has some control, if you wanted to include Logan Allen in your return for a Brendan Donovan package. The Cardinals are looking for more pitching,” Lada said.
With Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo both looking like stars down the stretch last season, they should both be in the mix to get a spot in the starting rotation. That makes Allen, a fellow southpaw, somewhat expendable if it helps this team get the type of player they need in return.
Multiple reports state that the Cardinals will only trade Donovan if they’re blown away by an offer, considering that it’s not like they definitely have to move him. That being said, adding a proven lefty starting pitcher like Allen might be more than enough to convince Chaim Bloom to pull the trigger.
Donovan can give the Guardians a proven offensive weapon. He’s also a versatile player who can cover multiple positions, which should be a factor here, given that this team will look to develop its young stars and give them as much playing time as possible.
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