With the MLB trade deadline right around the corner in late July, the Cleveland Guardians will have the opportunity to add more talent to their pursuit of a championship.
So far this season, the Guardians have gone 43-23. They are one of the best teams in baseball, but there are still some areas that could use improvement.
MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes that adding another starting pitcher is a must for Cleveland.
“The Guardians have established themselves as one of the top six teams in MLB this season and are now the favorites to win the AL Central. However, to make a deep run in October, they need to acquire another starting pitcher, preferably one who can miss bats, and an outfield power bat.”
Looking closer at the ned to acquire a starting pitcher, Bowden listed some different suggestions.
One name that came up as an ideal trade target for the Guardians is New York Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino.
Severino is a name that has come up quite often in the MLB rumor mill. It seems likely that he’ll find a new home before the deadline. With the Mets struggling and needing to build for the future, they will likley move the 30-year-old pitcher for the best value they can find.
Throughout the 2024 MLB season thus far, Severino has started 12 games for New York. In those 12 games, he has compiled a 4-2 record to go along with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He isn’t the strikeout pitcher that he once was, but he has grown his game to become a much better complete pitcher than he was with the New York Yankees.
Cleveland needs to find quality players with experience. They’re extremely young and will need veteran leadership come postseason time.
Depending on the price tag that it would take, acquiring Severino would give the Guardians both skill and experience. He would be a major upgrade to the rotation and would help Cleveland pursue its goal of a deep postseason run.
While this is just speculation at this point in time, a potential trade for Severino would make sense and is something to monitor when the trade deadline action begins picking up.
