Guardians floated as landing spot for Mets starter who has disappointed in 2026

While the Guardians’ pitching factory has long been regarded as the envy of baseball, their pitching depth took another huge blow over the weekend when they announced that Khal Stephen is set to undergo elbow surgery that should keep him out for the rest of 2026. 

Even though the Guardians have had the same five pitchers start a game for them this season, it seems like they’ve at least considered the prospect of adding a sixth player to that equation, as both MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and ESPN’S Jeff Passan included the Guardians as a potential landing spot for Peralta in their latest trade roundups. 

Although Peralta’s in the midst of a rough season (by his standards), he still stands out as one of the top available trade arms and would be an obvious upgrade for the Guardians, should they choose to pursue him. 

Freddy Peralta could be the Guardians' top trade target

After spending the first eight years of his career with the Brewers, Milwaukee traded Peralta and old friend Tobias Myers to the Mets in the offseason in exchange for two prospects. 

That trade’s been a bit of a dud for the struggling Mets, who have a record of 34-43 and are 14 1/2 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. 

Peralta entered the weekend with an okay 3.90 ERA through 15 starts, but that ballooned to 4.83 after he allowed 10 runs in just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Mets on Saturday. 

But that shouldn’t limit the amount of potential suitors he’d have given he finished fifth in the Cy Young voting last season and was one of the NL’s best pitchers during his time with the Brewers. 

He also seems like a lock to be traded thanks to the fact that the Mets are already over the luxury tax, which means the best compensatory pick they’d be able to get for him would be after the fourth round.

And if that wasn’t enough, he’s making just $8 million this season, which should be music to the Guardians’ ears. 

Cleveland’s starting staff is already in a good spot thanks to the presence of Gavin Williams and Parker Messick, but there’s also some clear room for upgrades. 

While the Guardians have that aforementioned lack of depth, they’ve also had to navigate Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi’s inconsistencies. 

They both pitched well last week (Cecconi's eight inning gem against the Astros was one of the team’s best starts of the season), but it’s hard to believe the Guardians would be comfortable giving the ball to either of them in a postseason game. 

Not only would pairing Peralta with Williams, Messick and Tanner Bibee would give the Guardians the best rotation in all of baseball, but it would also help them eat more innings ahead of Cade Smith dominating in the ninth inning. 

The Guardians also have an abundance of prospects who seem more like luxuries than necessities, so they’d be able to match any team’s offer. 

Even if we still have more than a month until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Peralta is quickly becoming one of the biggest names floating around in the rumor mill. The Guardians' front office has proven they're willing to make a big splash if they feel the team is a true contender, and going after Peralta would be exactly that.

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