Guardians Pressed To Sign Shocking Pitcher In Free Agency

Could the Cleveland Guardians shock the world by signing this star pitcher in free agency?

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are clearly in dire need of starting pitching heading into the offseason, and the free-agent market should be full of solid arms.

But could the Guardians actually try and snare a pitcher from the top of the food chain?

James Mastrucci of Away Back Gone is urging Cleveland to make a push for Baltimore Orioles star Corbin Burnes, who will be one of the top players available this winter.

While Mastrucci acknowledges that splurging in free agency is not the Guardians' style, he thinks it is something the front office absolutely needs to weigh.

" ... With a team that finished with the second-best record in the American League and made it to the ALCS, the time for the Guardians to act like a genuinely competitive organization instead of one operating in an incredibly risk-averse manner is now," Mastrucci wrote. "This is a roster on the cusp of ending the sport's longest active championship drought, and pushing all their chips in to do that is something that must be considered."

Burnes went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA this past season, allowing 165 hits while registering 181 strikeouts en route to his fourth straigth All-Star appearance.

The 30-year-old entered the big leagues in 2018 and spent the first six years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Orioles in February 2024.

Burnes owns a lifetime 3.19 ERA and has averaged 10.5 punchouts per nine innings, although his strikeout numbers have dipped the last couple of seasons.

The Guardians unquestionably need an elite arm in their rotation, especially after watching their starting pitchers fail to make it through three innings three times in their five-game ALC S loss to the New York Yankees.

That being said, the idea of Cleveland actually landing Burnes is more rooted in fantasy than reality. But who knows? Maybe the Guardians will shock the world.