5 starting pitchers the Cleveland Guardians should target in free agency

By the end of their playoff run, it became very obvious that the current state of their starting rotation was a problem. They only had one pitcher last more than 5 innings in a start, and that put even more pressure on Cleveland's bullpen which was overworked during the regular season. This resulted in relief arms that were usually capable of shutdown performances being a little less effective and ultimately leading to their postseason elimination. If they are going to avoid a repeat next season, they will need to add multiple starting pitchers, and the following five names would be ideal fits in Cleveland.

1. Michael Lorenzen - Kansas City Royals

Michael Lorenzen has bounced around the league a little bit over the past few seasons, pitching for six different teams since 2021. The soon-to-be 33-year-old has mostly been effective during that time, with a couple of hiccups along the way, but that has not deterred teams from vying for his services. In 26 appearances last season, Lorenzen compiled a 3.31 ERA and 1.235 WHIP while striking out 6.7 batters per nine innings.

Lorenzen has been traded to two different postseason contenders over the past two years (Philadelphia and Kansas City), allowing one run in four appearances. While the outings were brief (5 innings with only two starts), being able to bring in someone who has pitched in the postseason before could prove to be a valuable addition for a team that lacked playoff experience in their rotation.