Astros swingman emerges as logical Guardians trade candidate (and he has NEO roots)

On April 20, Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh got to live out a childhood dream when he pitched a scoreless inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. 

After growing up as a Cleveland fan in Mansfield, he described the appearance as a moment he had dreamed of.

Now the Guardians have a chance to make that dream come true almost every time he pitches. 

On Thursday, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reported that Blubaugh was drawing plenty of trade interest for the Astros, who has been pitching well in middle relief for the Astros. The Guardians should be one of those teams interested in Blubaugh, as he could serve as a logical fix to one of the Guardians’ biggest problems. 

AJ Blubaugh would be a great fit in the Guardians’ pitching staff 

Blubaugh entered the weekend with a 3.36 ERA in 56 1/3 innings after tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Twins on Wednesday. 

Those 56 1/3 innings are the most among MLB relievers, and he ranks in the 80th percentile in pitching run value, breaking run value and offspeed run value. 

His fastball can reach 98 miles per hour, and he complements it with a changeup to left-handers and a sweeper to right-handers.

After coming up as a starting pitcher, the Astros moved him to the bullpen this year, though 18 of his 34 outings have been two or more innings, so he’s still leaning into his background as a starter a bit. 

While that skillset would make him a great addition in a Guardians bullpen that’s been missing a true longman since Kolby Allard was DFA’d, Cleveland could also stretch him out after the season to use him as a starting option. 

Khal Stephen was the Guardians’ most MLB-ready pitching prospect, but he just suffered an elbow injury that could keep him out until 2028. 

Not only does Blubaugh have the versatility of a swingman, but he’s not going to be a free agent until 2032. It’s the best of both worlds. 

While the Astros have stabilized a bit since their rough start to the season and entered the weekend just two games back in the watered-down American League West, Rome wrote the Astros are in the market for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, right-handed reliever or starting pitcher. 

While the Guardians don’t have an outfielder or starting pitcher to offer, they have an abundance of eight-handed relievers they could offer up, especially if Blubaugh becomes part of their big league bullpen. 

While Guardians trading for Blubaugh could be classified as a move that’s both “buying” and “selling,” it would give them a golden opportunity to build around a strength at a relative discount compared to how much pitching can normally cost.

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