Blue Jays Starting Pitcher Should Be Trade Target For Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians' need for more starting pitching becomes clearer each time through the rotation. They need to acquire another arm or two if they want to be a real playoff threat later on in the postseason.
One team could become a seller ahead of the MLB trade deadline and the Guardians should look to grab one of their starting pitchers if that becomes the case.
This trade candidate the Guardians should target is RHP Chirs Bassitt of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bassitt is once against putting together a solid season as he has an ERA of 3.45, 1.37 WHIP in 16 starts.
The biggest area of need that the Guardians need out of their starters is length so they don’t tire out their dominant bullpen. Bassitt has always been a pitcher who gets deep into games and his 91.1 innings and has pitched 6.0 or more innings in half of his starts.
For reference, Tanner Bibee currently leads Guardians starters with 87.1 innings pitched and Logan Allen has pitched the second most innings at 78.2.
It also helps that Bassitt has a connection with rookie Guardians manager Stephen Vogt dating back to their playing days with the Oakland Athletics.
Bassitt isn’t a free agent until after the 2025 season so the Blue Jays don’t need to be in any rush to trade him right now. Plus, this extra year of team control could make the asking price for someone of his services go up in a buyer's market.
However, Cleveland has a window of contention opening, and giving away some of their prospects for a proven big league pitcher who could help them in two playoff runs would be worth it.
TOMMY WILD