Guardians Dealt Bad News In Potential Trade For Starting Pitcher

The Guardians want more starting pitching, but they may have a tough time finding it between now and the MLB trade deadline.

Jun 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Logan Allen (41) gets a visa to the mound from pitching coach Carl Willis (51) in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians' need for starting pitching has been on full display in their series against the Kansas City Royals.

On Friday, Triston McKenzie lasted just 2.1 innings before being chased after surrendering five runs on five hits (two home runs). The Guardians sent him and his 5.11 ERA down to the minor leagues on Sunday, hoping to get the youngster right.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, Logan Allen put forth yet another shaky start, giving up three runs on six hits in 4.1 frames. His ERA ballooned to 5.75 for the season.

Three of Cleveland's starting pitchers lay claim to ERAs over 5, with the other being Carlos Carrasco. Yes, Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively have been impressive, but you need more than just two reliable starters to genuinely contend for a World Series (unless you're the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and your top two starters are Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling).

That's why the Guardians are in the market for starting pitching between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline, but there has been some bad news in their search to solidify their rotation: there aren't many good starting pitchers available.

A top MLB executive told Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com that the waters are pretty choppy.

“The market is awful,” the executive said. “There isn’t much available. The price is astronomical for even an average starter.”

Of course, that could all change over the next several weeks. The deadline is still a month away, and teams will almost certainly drop their prices the closer it gets.

But with 12 teams now making the playoffs in the expanded Wild Card, less ballclubs are willing to sell. Unless a team is really, really bad (like the Chicago White Sox, for example), they will probably be pretty hesitant to move significant pieces.

And for the squads that do want to sell? They will ask for an arm and a leg because they have a monopoly on the trade market. Taking that into consideration, you can imagine how much the White Sox are asking for Garrett Crochet, who has been speculated as a potential target for Cleveland. The Guardians may have to pay an AL Central tax in exchange for his services, as well.

Cleveland absolutely needs to add at least one starting pitcher before the end of July. It may just be incredibly difficult for the club to do so.