Guardians Should Go All in on Former Red Sox Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians should aggressively pursue this former Boston Red Sox pitcher.

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) on the mound against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians still find themselves in need of starting pitching, even after re-signing Shane Bieber and swinging a trade for Luis Ortiz.

Remember: Bieber is recovering from Tommy John surgery and Ortiz has limited experience as a starter, so there are no guarantees there.

The Guardians are not exactly a spendthrift organization, and chances are, they won't be doling out any big bucks for the remainder of the offseason.

But if Cleveland really wants to take that next step as a contender, it should make a serious push for former Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta.

Pivetta remains a free agent and does not seem to have a very robust market at the current point in time. That could be because he may be asking for a considerable amount of money, especially after Luis Severino landed a three-year, $67 million deal from the Oakland Athletics.

That being said, it's hard not to like Pivetta.

The 31-year-old is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he logged a 4.14 ERA while allowing 128 hits and registering 172 strikeouts over 145.2 innings of work. The ERA isn't brilliant, but the strikeout numbers are impressive, as is the fact that he only walked 36 batters.

Pivetta broke in to the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2017 and has never been a frontline starter, but he has established himself as a legitimate middle-of-the-rotation starter over the last couple of seasons.

And at this point, that is really what the Guardians need. They certainly aren't signing Corbin Burnes, and while they could swing a blockbuster trade for someone like Dylan Cease, they probably won't be willing to part with the prospect capital required.

A Pivetta-type pitcher may be Cleveland's best option, and he is right there for the taking.

A rotation that includes Bieber, Tanner Bibee, Ortiz and Pivetta would actually be fairly formidable so long as everyoen stays healthy.