The Cleveland Guardians appear to have some work to do if they hope to capitalize on their run to the American League Championship Series last season.
So far this winter, the organization has brought in some young players, re-signed Shane Bieber and Austin Hedges, and signed veteran slugger Carlos Santana. However, they have lost Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb, and Carlos Carrasco, as well as traded Andrés Giménez and Josh Naylor, among other players. Overall, their roster appears to have taken a step back this summer. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report referred to the Guardians as a “pretender” in his most recent analysis of postseason prospects.
“If Ben Lively repeats what he accomplished last season and Shane Bieber makes it,
According to Miller, if Cleveland recovers from Tommy John surgery before the All-Star break, they may be able to run it back again. “But the Guardians have one sure thing in their rotation (Tanner Bibee) and have traded away two of what were their four or five most valuable position players from last season in the name of saving some coin.” If the Guardians want to boost their postseason chances before the next season begins, they can go to the St. Louis Cardinals to help bolster their problematic rotation. Patrick McAvoy, writing for SI, anticipated that the Guardians will acquire experienced pitcher Steven Matz in a trade with the Cardinals.
“There have been some rumors about Cleveland’s possible interest in Matz,” McAvoy said. “The Cardinals are attempting to decrease their salary,
suffering Matz away would be an easy way to accomplish it without sacrificing much in the rotation, given he’s been suffering with a lot of ailments, forcing the team to go in other areas.” Matz has shown the talent and durability to be a regular starter throughout his career, but he has also struggled to pitch a large number of innings. In 2024, he only pitched 44.1 innings and had a 5.08 ERA due to multiple back issues. However, he pitched 105 innings with a 3.86 ERA in 2023 and, if he can replicate that performance, he might be a valuable addition to the Guardians’ rotation.
Matz is entering the final season of his four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals, and he’s owed $12.5 million. Million in 2025. If the Guardians believe that is a reasonable amount to pay for a one-year bet on Matz’ health, they may try to move forward with the agreement.
Leave a Reply