The Cleveland Guardians have, to this point, re-signed Shane Bieber and brought in Luis L. Ortiz via trade to bolster their rotation.
They still need an extra starter or two, preferably top-end pitchers, because Bieber won’t be ready for the start of the season and the team lost Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb in free agency.
The Guardians are probably waiting for the right opportunity, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t closely monitoring both the free agent and trade markets.
In fact, reports from Saturday indicate that the Guards have put their eyes on two pitchers from the St. Louis Cardinals: Steven Matz and Erick Fedde.
Tigers, Guardians Interested In Erick Fedde, Steven Matz https://t.co/U9b4Cy0KF0 pic.twitter.com/SYGpRJnqIo
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 21, 2024
Matz could be cheaper to acquire in terms of prospects, but is expected to make $12.5 million in 2025.
He is coming off a disappointing campaign in which he returned a 5.08 ERA in 44.1 frames, battling back problems for most of the year.
Fedde is younger, better and cheaper.
Because of that, however, the Guardians would be required to flip relevant prospects or maybe a useful MLB-ready piece or two to the Cardinals.
The 31-year-old righty is coming off the best season of his career, delivering a 3.30 ERA between the Chicago White Sox and the Cards.
Matz and, particularly, Fedde would slot in nicely in Cleveland’s rotation.
The former would be more of a backend option, while the latter might be good enough to plug in the middle of the staff.
It will all depend on the Cards’ willingness to negotiate and whether or not the Guardians are open to dealing some of their prized prospects.
NEXT: Guardians Relief Pitching Prospect Goes To Driveline With High Hopes For 2025
