Guardians Reportedly Pursuing Trade For Intriguing Strikeout Artist

The Cleveland Guardians have reportedly inquired about an interesting left-handed pitcher from the Los Angeles Angels.

Jun 1, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers (48) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-USA TODAY Sports / John Froschauer-USA TODAY Sports

The general expectation is that the Cleveland Guardians will make a move for a starting pitcher or two between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

While the dream of Garrett Crochet can probably be put to rest at this point, there should still be numerous other options available.

One potential candidate is Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers, who the Guardians are apparently pursuing, via Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports.

Cleveland is one of "several postseason contenders" to inquire about Detmers, Dorsey adds.

On the surface, Detmers' numbers don't look too appealing, as he has gone 3-7 with a paltry 6.14 ERA over 12 starts. As a matter of fact, Detmers is currently in Triple-A and hasn't exactly been lighting it up there, either, pitching to the tune of a 6.49 ERA across eight outings.

But there is reason to believe that Detmers is fixable.

The 25-year-old has great stuff, as evidenced by the fact that he has registered 70 strikeouts through 63 innings this season. Last year, he went 4-10 with a much more respectable 4.48 ERA, allowing 141 hits while fanning 168 batters over 148.2 frames.

Detmers hit the big leagues in 2021, making five starts. The following year, he showed considerable potential, going 7-6 with a 3.77 ERA.

The southpaw has logged double-digit strikeouts per nine innings over the last two seasons and owns a career average of 9.4 punchouts per nine frames. Those are numbers that the Guardians can work with.

However, Detmers' command has been a problem, as he has issued a tick under four walks per nine innings in 2024.

Here's the thing for Cleveland: there is nothing inherently wrong with taking a stab at a guy like Detmers, who has displayed obvious talent and could simply be in need of a change of scenery.

That being said, it will be problematic Detmers represents the only pitcher the Guardians acquire before the end of the month.

Hopefully, Detmers represents one of multiple pitchers Cleveland is considering.