by For all of those baseball fans out there, it is that time of year again! With this year’s trade deadline coming Tuesday July 30th, many key trades have already been happening. Sadly, nothing for the Cleveland Guardians yet. But until that happens, let’s take a look at some realistic trade targets for Cleveland.
Let’s get it out of the way first that most fans if not all, agree that this team needs to most importantly add a bat, as well as a quality starting pitcher. This year looks a lot more like a seller’s market than a buyer’s market. But when you are a team in contention like Cleveland, you have to make a move.
I have made it known that my favorite bat to get would be Brent Rooker from the Oakland Athletics. The big righty outfielder is having his best season of his career batting .296 with an OPS of .957 to go along with 25 home runs and 75 RBI’s.
The one downside to this idea is that Oakland continues to show they are the worst organization in all of sports by coming out and saying that they are reluctant to trade Rooker.
The next two most ideal names to look for would be Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo. Both names have been reported that Cleveland is in fact interested in them.
Ward is batting .227 with an OPS of .711 to go along with 16 home runs and 51 RBI’s. While Rengifo is batting .300 with an OPS of .769 to go along with 6 home runs and 30 RBI’s. Ward would likely fit the Guardians better as they are in desperate need of a righty Outfielder.
They could also go out and take a look at Nationals outfielder, Lane Thomas. He is batting .253 with an OPS of .738 to go along with 8 home runs and 40 RBI’s. With Dylan Crews on the horizon, it has been reported the Nationals would possibly move on from him, and it would be a perfect fit for Cleveland.
Not only should the Guardians be looking at bats to improve their team, but they should absolutely be looking at starting pitching as well. Outside of Ben Lively, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams, Cleveland has a very questionable rotation heading into the back half of the season.
Adding a number one like Garrett Crochet seems pretty unlikely at this point as we move closer to the Tuesday deadline. He would be quite pricey, and the Guardians would probably be reluctant of giving up what’s necessary to get him.
But there are other names to look out for that would make more sense for Cleveland based off of what they are willing to spend.
It all has to start with making a call to the White Sox. You’re not going to get Crochet, but you can very well go after Erick Fedde. Although Crochet would be more of a splashier move, Fedde would cost loss and still gives Cleveland what they need.
Fedde has an ERA of 3.11 with a record of 7-4, a 1.14 WHIP, and has racked up 108 strikeouts on the season. He would instantly slide into the rotation at 2nd or 3rd, and ultimately, that’s all the Guardians really need with having the best bullpen in baseball.
Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers would have to be next on the list, if not first. He has had a great bounce back season and Detroit has been rumored to be possibly selling.
Flaherty has an ERA of 2.95 ERA with a record of 7-5, a 0.96 WHIP, and 133 strikeouts. He may be pricier than Fedde, still cheaper than Crochet, but once again, he would be perfect to slide right into the Guardians rotation.
One last name to look for is Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays. He is more of a back-end rotation guy and would not be as expensive as the other pitchers mentioned before. Kikuchi has an ERA of 4.75 with a record of 4-9, a 1.34 WHIP, and has 130 strikeouts.
Even though Guardians fans would not specifically love this move, Kikuchi has the best chance of happening based off of what the front office would like to spend.
One out of the box trade dream would be to acquire Kikuchi and Vlad Guerro Jr., as it would be a win-win for both sides if they were to meet on a deal. The question is whether or not the Blue Jays want to sell all the way.
With all of that being said, land a key bat with a solid starter, and all Guardians fans would be locked in with this final push to October. Tuesday can’t get here soon enough.
