Guardians Should Trade for This Pitcher Immediately

The Cleveland Guardians shouldn't waste any time trying to trade for this impressive young starting pitcher.

Sep 15, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (37) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It's becoming increasingly obvious that the Cleveland Guardians are not all that interested in upgrading their offense this offseason.

The only bat they have signed in free agency has been Carlos Santana, and that was only to replace Josh Naylor, who was traded.

So perhaps the Guardians should instead just focus on bolstering their starting rotation to combat the fact that they probably won't score a lot of runs in 2025?

Cleveland has re-signed Shane Bieber and has swung a trade for Luis Ortiz this offseason, giving the Guardians a top three of Bieber, Tanner Bibee and Ortiz (when Bieber is healthy, of course).

But Cleveland shouldn't be done addressing its pitching staff.

A very interesting name has emerged as a potential trade candidate: Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones.

Apparently, the Pirates are open to discussions on Jones, who is just 23 years old and is coming off of a rookie campaign in which he pitched to the tune of a 4.14 ERA while registering 132 strikeouts over 121.2 innings of work.

Now, Pittsburgh's asking price for Jones will probably be significant. After all, he is under club control for the foreseeable future, and the idea of a Paul Skenes-Jones tandem at the top of the Pirates' rotation is certainly tantalizing.

But the Guardians should immediately place a phone call to Pittsburgh to see what it would take to pry Jones away.

What could it hurt? If the Pirates require an exorbitant return, Cleveland can just move on. But perhaps a middle ground can be reached if Pittsburgh is legitimately considering dealing one of its most impressive young arms?

The Guardians need to make some sort of an effort to genuinely improve this offseason. Up until now they have not done that.

Swinging a trade for Jones, however, would be one heck of an addition.