Guardians acquire recently DFA'd pitcher from Mariners

The Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners have agreed to terms on a trade that will see an almost 27-year-old right-handed pitcher coming to the American League Central.

Cleveland acquired Cody Bolton from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. Bolton was recently designated for assignment by Seattle in order to make room for Jesse Hahn, leaving him as the odd man out. The Guardians decided to take a chance on Bolton, hoping to uncover a diamond in the rough along the way. John Means has been transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Bolton.

This is a rather unsurprising move by Cleveland's front office, as they are known to take the buy-low approach with the hopes that they can get the most out of an arm that other organizations seem incapable of doing. The acquisition is just the latest in a long list of names that the Guardians have attempted this with, and he will not be the last.

Bolton has 33 major league appearances to his name, all coming over the last two seasons with Seattle in 2024 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. In those appearances, Bolton has a 5.40 ERA, 1.800 WHIP, and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. There is nothing too spectacular here, but his minor league track record suggests that there is something that can be unlocked by Cleveland's superior pitching development staff.

In 138 minor league appearances, Bolton has a 3.38 ERA, 1.180 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9. Most of this has come during Bolton's time in the Pirates' organization, but his brief stint in Seattle's minor league system also produced similar results. Perhaps with a few tweaks, the Guardians may be able to get Bolton to resemble the pitcher he was in the minors rather than the less-effective major league version.