Guardians Have High Hopes For Newest Starting Pitcher

Chris Antonetti says newest Cleveland Guardians pitcher, Luis Ortiz, has a bright future.

Jun 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Luis Ortiz (48) delivers a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians knew they needed more starting pitchers after it was their Achilles heel down the stretch last postseason.

However, finding reliable major league pitchers isn't cheap, which is why Cleveland's front office turned to the trade market to acquire more of them.

The Guardians sent Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays for INF Spencer Horwitz. Then Cleveland flipped Hortwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a package centered around RHP Luis Ortiz.

Chris Antonetti talked with the media on Friday afternoon about all of these deals and highlighted how excited they are to be Ortiz into the organization.

"Luis Ortiz will join our major league rotation, and we think there is a lot of reasons to be excited about what he brings to the organization. We love the developmental path he was on last year. He went through some challenges initially at the major league level but emerged as a really consistent starting pitcher with really good stuff. We think there is a really bright future ahead of him," said Antonetti.

"He has an above-average fastball. He throws a two-seamer, four-seamer, slider, a cutter, and has really power stuff. We think partnering him with our major league pitching team could help him continue to grow and develop into a really effective major league starting pitcher."

Even though Gimenez was traded for Ortiz one-for-one, the two will forever be tied to one another in Cleveland due to how the transactions lineup.

Apr 4, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Luis Ortiz (48) looks on during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

As Antonetti mentions, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what Ortiz has to offer. He posted a 3.22 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in the 15 starts he made with the Pirates last season.

Time will tell what Ortiz looks like in a major league rotation for an entire season. But there is a strong level of excitement for him within the organization, and it's easy to see why.