Cleveland Guardians Sign Intriguing Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a deal with this interesting pitcher.

Jun 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Parker Mushinski (67) warms up before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians find themselves in desperate need of starting pitching, so they will likely be exploring all avenues to improve their rotation this offseason.

Well, the Guardians have already gotten things underway, as Chandler Rome of The Athletic has reported that Cleveland has signed former Houston Astros pitcher Parker Mushinski to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Of course, the catch is that Mushinski is no longer actually a starter, as he transitioned into a full-time bullpen role with the Astros in 2022.

But perhaps the Guardians think he has starter stuff?

The left-hander, who played his collegiate baseball at Texas Tech, was selected by Houston in the seventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Over the first few years of his minor-league career, the Astros experimented with Mushinski as both a starter and a reliever.

Across seven minor-league seasons with Houston, the 28-year-old pitched to the tune of a 3.47 ERA while registering an impressive 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings over 193 appearances and 38 starts.

Mushinski made his big-league debut in 2022 and pitched sparingly for the Astros the past three seasons, tallying 31 relief outings and recording a 5.45 ERA. His strikeout numbers have not been quite the same in the majors, as he has logged just 7.1 punchouts per nine innings.

However, there is no question that the Arlington, Tx. native has intriguing stuff, and given how well Cleveland tends to identify good pitching, it must see something it really likes in Mushinski.

Mushinski's biggest issue has been his lack of control, as he posted four walks per nine innings throughout his time in Houston's minor-league system.

If the Guardians can get Mushinski's walk rate in check, perhaps they will have found themselves a diamond in the rough.