Guardians should make aggressive push to acquire young Diamondbacks pitcher

If there is one area that the Cleveland Guardians absolutely must address this offseason, it is their starting rotation. The Guardians managed to make it through 2024 with a rotating cast of characters and somehow reached the ALCS with a group featuring only one above-average arm. With it being likely that any type of free agent signing to be on the lower end of the financial commitment spectrum, this makes Cleveland's best path toward improving this group the trade market. And luckily, there is a team that could be willing to move an arm or two rather soon. That team? The Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona has been identified as a team that could listen to offers on its arms. While it may be motivated to move some of its older pitchers, the Guardians should make a push to acquire 26-year-old Brandon Pfaadt. Other names who could be on the move include Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, and Ryne Nelson. Of this group, Pfaadt may be the most difficult to acquire based on his age and contract status (five years of team control), but the Guardians should be looking to bring someone with this description into their starting rotation.

Pfaadt has a 5.06 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, and 9.0 strikeouts per nine in 51 appearances over two seasons. These numbers may not jump off the page, but it must be acknowledged that playing in Arizona is not doing him any favors in the ERA and WHIP departments. In 26 games at Chase Field, Pfaadt has allowed 83 of his 156 career-earned runs and given up 20 of 46 home runs in just 26 games. It is obvious that pitching in a less hitter-friendly environment would do wonders for Pfaadt, and Cleveland should do whatever they can to make that happen. It may require parting ways with a few highly regarded prospects, but considering the difficulties the Guardians experienced last season in their rotation, avoiding a similar result in 2025 must be a top priority.