Guardians make shrewd bullpen signing that could eliminate huge trade deadline need 

Although the Cleveland Guardians’ biggest trade deadline need is clearly adding a bat or two to their lineup, their pitching depth was a sneaky area of importance given their lack of big league pitching depth. 

Well, they addressed that lack of depth on Friday in the most Guardians way possible. With every team building up to what should be a busy deadline, Cleveland kicked off its transaction season by signing lefty reliever Ryan Borucki to a minor league contract. 

It may not be the biggest signing in the world, but it could quietly help eliminate Cleveland’s need to break the bank to add pitching depth. 

Ryan Borucki will help with the Guardians' pitching depth

Borucki opened this season with the San Francisco Giants, where he had a 4.94 ERA in 23 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment at the end of May. He elected free agency a week later and has lingered on the market since the Guardians picked him up. 

He’s about as close to a LOOGY as you can get in today’s three-batter minimum world, as he held left-handed hitters to an OPS of just .550, whereas right-handed hitters had a 1.085 OPS. He struck out just 14.4% of the batters he faced (by far the lowest mark of his career), while posting a walk rate of 8.7%. 

Still, Borucki’s has a solid track record of big league success. He burst onto the scene with Toronto in 2018 to the tune of a 3.87 ERA in 97 2/3 innings, but suffered significant arm injuries that limited him in 2019 and 2021. 

He’s bounced around baseball since then, but had an above-average season with the Pirates in 2023 where he had a 2.45 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. 

The Guardians boast one of baseball’s best pitching labs, so any move they make for a pitcher always raises eyebrows since there’s always a chance they could help pitchers unlock more from their arsenal. 

While the Guardians signed him to a minor league deal, it seems like it’ll only be a matter of time until he gets a big league opportunity in Cleveland. Tim Herrin and Erik Sabrowski are the Guardians’ top two lefty relief options, but both of them have cooled off since their hot starts to the season. 

Alternatively, he could be an obvious replacement for Will Dion, who has appeared in 10 games for the Guardians this season while largely working in mop-up duty. 

Even if Borucki won’t immediately become a high-leverage killer for the Guardians, his ability to get lefties out could make him a fun toy for Stephen Vogt to play with. 

Borucki’s signing could also help tighten the Guardians’ trade deadline focus. Although he’s not on the same level as someone like A.J. Minter (who the Twins gave up two prospects to acquire yesterday), Borucki is still a solid budget option who the Guardians were able to acquire without giving anything up. 

The classic Guardians way.

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