3 left-handed relievers who should be on Guardians' radar ahead of trade deadline

While the Cleveland Guardians bullpen has been one of the best relief units in all of baseball this season, it’s not perfect. And one of the clearest ways they can improve is by improving the left-handed options they have. 

They got solid pitching at the start of the season from southpaws Erik Sabrowski and Tim Herri, but now Sabrowski’s on the injured list and Herrin’s having a 7.88 ERA across his last 11 appearances. 

Luckily for the Guardians, there are going to be plenty of southpaw relievers who should be available at the trade deadline. Here are three who stand out as obvious Guardians trade deadline targets. 

There are plenty of left-handed relievers available for the Guardians to acquire at the trade deadline

Brennan Bernardino, Colorado Rockies
2-3, 3.70 ERA 18 Ks in 24 1/3 innings

While you'd think that Bernardino’s average counting are because he’s played half his game at altitude at Coors Field, he has a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings at home compared to a 4.73 ERA in 13 1/3 innings on the road. 

Bernardino fastball sits at just 90 miles per hour, but he's in the 99th percentile in hard-hit rate (22%) and has walked just 5% of the batters he’s faced.

That middling fastball velocity is always going to limit on the amount of strikeouts he can get, but he has solid command and does a good job keeping the ball off the heart of the plate. 

He wouldn’t usurp Sabrowski as the top lefty arm in the bullpen, but his command would make him a better matchup option than Herrin (14.7% walk rate). Bernardino is also making just $925,000 this year and is under club control until 2030. 

A.J. Puk, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yet to pitch this season

Last offseason the Guardians and Diamondbacks linked up for a big trade that sent Josh Naylor out west in exchange for Slade Cecconi and a draft pick. Could they link up again this year?

Puk’s been out since last May after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he just started a rehab assignment and should be back in the middle of June. 

Arizona has jumped out to a surprising 33-29 record in the loaded National League West thanks to a solid offense and just enough pitching. 

Still, they’ve shown a willingness to weave the line between buyer and seller in the past, so Puk could be available regardless of where the Diamondbacks are in the standings.

Should they choose to weave that line, Puk stands out as a trade candidate, and an obvious target for the Guardians. 

Puk had a 1.79 ERA in 35 1/3 innings after Arizona acquired him midway through 2024, and ranked in the 90th percentile or better in pretty much every advanced category last year prior to getting hurt. 

He’s not as much of a no-brainer as Bernardino given he’s coming off a serious injury and is a rental, but he’d be an obvious fix to Cleveland's problems (so long as he’s healthy).

John King, Miami Marlins
2-1, 2.36 ERA, 20 Ks in 26 2/3 innings

King’s had a bit of an up-and-down start to his MLB career, bue he's have righted the ship with the Marlins, who should be a seller at the deadline. 

He opened his career with the Rangers before spending the 2024 and ‘25 seasons with the Cardinals, but was non-tendered last season after having a 4.66 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. 

He also has a fastball that averages just 90 miles per hour, but he has a 52% ground ball rate and a 30.9% hard-hit rate — two traits the Guardians love to have in their relief pitchers. 

He’s a rental on a cheap contract ($1.5 million), so the Guardians wouldn’t need to give up a ton to get him, which would make him a great depth addition to a bullpen that could use another reliable, lefty veteran. 

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