The Cleveland Guardians need at least one top starter and a couple of solid mid-rotation or backend options.
The need for reliable starting pitching became evident in the American League Championship Series defeat against the New York Yankees, as short outings by the rotation tired and exposed a quality bullpen.
Cleveland probably won’t go out there and spend $100+ million on a top starter, because that’s not how they operate.
Instead, they can target ‘damaged’ or ‘flawed’ assets at the bargain section, giving their player development and coaching staffs a chance to work their magic and turn them into reliable assets.
Basically, do what they did with Ben Lively, Alex Cobb, Matthew Boyd, and many others through the years.
Team news and analysts account Guardians of the Land posted some names the organization could target with this in mind.
“The Guardians have a pitching lab, so we can widen our net a bit when shopping for arms. You have higher-end targets like Bieber/Buehler/Boyd, but put any of these guys in our lab and I think you get solid innings: Canning, Lorenzen, Montas, Perez, Quantrill, Quintana, Rea, Sandoval,” he posted on X.
The Guardians have a pitching lab, so we can widen our net a bit when shopping for arms. You have higher-end targets like Bieber/Buehler/Boyd, but put any of these guys in our lab and I think you get solid innings:
Canning
Lorenzen
Montas
Perez
Quantrill
Quintana
Rea
Sandoval— Guardians of The Land (@OurCLEGuardians) November 23, 2024
Most of those guys have had some semblance of success in the past but for some reason or another have seen their value in free agency take a hit.
The Guardians, for example, could work wonders with Colin Rea or a changeup guy like Patrick Sandoval, or work with Griffin Canning to improve his slider and unlock his potential.
They do need someone above this tier, but the rest of their pitching acquisitions could be reclamation projects like these.
The team consistently finds success this way, but they do need a top-tier option to increase their ceiling once and for all.
NEXT: Guardians Infielder Keeps Posting Otherworldly Numbers In Winter Ball
