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5 trade options the Cleveland Guardians could target to fill Shane Bieber's spot in the rotation

By James Mastrucci |
Cleveland Guardians v Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Guardians v Minnesota Twins / David Berding/GettyImages
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There is a massive void in the Cleveland Guardians' starting rotation with the devastating news of Shane Bieber's season-ending injury coming on Saturday. It is not going to be easy for the Guardians to find a way to replace Bieber, as they were expecting him to be one of their workhorses this year in what was supposed to be his triumphant return after being limited last season. 

Making matters worse is that Bieber's velocity was up, and he was racking up the strikeouts, leading all of baseball after his first two starts. The last time that Bieber was pitching this well was all the way back in 2020, resulting in winning the American League Cy Young Award. Two starts are not nearly enough to tell if another Cy Young was going to be a possibility for Bieber, but it did appear that he was starting off on the right trajectory for that.

The Guardians could very well look internally to find a replacement, as possible options from their organization have been previously documented. Should Cleveland decide they want to try and find an external solution, there are five possible options for the Guardians to acquire via trade to take Bieber's place in the rotation.

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1. Jose Quintana - New York Mets

The New York Mets have stumbled out of the gate, and it does appear that it could be a very long and disappointing season ahead for their organization. It would not be surprising to see the Mets look to move players who are on expiring contracts. Veteran left-hander Jose Quintana would fit this description, as he is set to become a free agent after the season.

Quintana had a couple of rough seasons from 2017-2021, with the final 14 games of the 2017 season following his trade to the Chicago Cubs being the only time he registered an ERA below 4.00 during that span. Since then, Quintana has an ERA of 3.11 over 47 starts in 251.2 innings pitched as a member of three different organizations (Pirates, Cardinals, Mets).

The 35-year-old's best days do seem to be behind him at this point in his career, but that does not mean he would not necessarily be a quality pickup for the Guardians. If they are able to get relatively average performances from Quintana for the rest of the year, it would go a long way. It would also take some pressure off a bullpen that has already seen a lot of action and keep key relievers from being burnt out before a potential postseason run.

2. Ross Stripling - Oakland Athletics

Keeping in theme with teams that could experience some difficulty in the wins department, the Oakland Athletics may be a team worth reaching out to, as they may be looking to cut their salary even more before their upcoming move to Sacramento. The Athletics could look to get out ahead of having additional self-inflicted cash flow issues by trading someone with a $12.5 million salary this year in Ross Stripling.

Stripling has bounced around quite a bit since debuting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and has had trouble finding consistency on the mound, often alternating between good and bad seasons (2024 is set to be a good year if that pattern continues).

The one troubling thing with Stripling is that his strikeout rate has dropped in nearly every season since 2018 from 10.0 to his current 6.8 this season, with the lone exception being his 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 2021. However, acquiring Stripling would not be about attempting to insert a high-strikeout pitcher into their rotation. It would be about finding a way to stabilize the talent floor following the loss of Shane Bieber. Stripling could be a low-cost option to bring some much-needed stability and limit the innings pitched by the bullpen.

3. Alex Wood - Oakland Athletics

Another candidate to possibly pry away from the Oakland Athletics is veteran lefty Alex Wood.

Now, Wood has gotten off to a bit of a rough start, including giving up six runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings, which came during an 8-0 win for the Cleveland Guardians in his season debut. Wood has bounced back in his second start, as the Boston Red Sox scored three runs on six hits in 5 innings. His strikeout volume more than doubled from his first start, striking out seven Red Sox batters compared to just three Guardians. Seeing Wood being able to rebound is encouraging, and he could be an intriguing option to bring into Cleveland's rotation.

Wood has mostly taken a step back performance-wise since his first start with the Los Angeles Dodgers ended following the 2018 season. The now 33-year-old veteran had a 3.29 ERA and 1.215 WHIP through his first six seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers but has ballooned by nearly a run and a half to 4.69 to go along with a 1.310 WHIP. There was one outlier season with the San Francisco Giants for Wood in 2021, ending the year with a 3.83 ERA and 1.183 WHIP in 26 starts. While it is unlikely that Wood pitches that well again, it would be worth giving him a chance to in Cleveland with a much better supporting cast around him compared to the current circumstances in Oakland.

4. Lance Lynn - St. Louis Cardinals

If Cleveland Guardians are looking to find someone capable of pitching a ton of innings to fill those that will not be pitched by Shane Bieber this season, St. Louis Cardinals veteran starter Lance Lynn would be someone worth looking into.

Lynn is the definition of an innings eater, pitching 183.2 innings just last year. This ability to pitch a high volume of innings would be a welcome addition to the Guardians' pitching staff, considering that there really are not any internal options available capable of stepping into Bieber's spot in the rotation.

The only real concern with Lynn would be his age (37) combined with his performance on the mound taking a notable step back last year. Lynn had a 3.42 ERA and 1.137 WHIP during a four-year stretch from 2019-2022 with the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. That did not carry over into 2023, as Lynn's ERA sat at 5.73 and WHIP at 1.394 for the year. However, it must be said that there was a slight improvement in his numbers after being dealt by the White Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with his ERA dropping from 6.47 to 4.36 and his WHIP from 1.462 to 1.266. This at least provides some hope that Lynn still has a little more to offer and could be a worthwhile pickup for the Guardians.

5. Jesus Luzardo - Miami Marlins

At first glance, it does not seem like trading Jesus Luzardo may entertained by the Miami Marlins. But considering they may be one of, if not the worst team in baseball right now, that could play a factor in how they approach their team this season. There is an expectation right now that the Marlins could make players available on the trade market much earlier than anticipated. Luzardo could net them quite the haul if they decide to field trade offers for his services.

Luzardo is not going to come cheap for anyone if he is moved this year. At just 26 years old with two more arbitration-eligible years remaining, Miami is going to require an offer that is good enough to part with a very talented player still under team control. This could be the exact opportunity the Cleveland Guardians need to move some of their infield depth in the minors who currently have their path to the major league roster blocked. Acquiring a starting pitcher via trade is the exact reason why teams like to stockpile middle infielders, should they find themselves in need of one.

The prospect of moving a player in Luzardo, who is only going to become more expensive for a handful of players on exponentially cheaper contracts under team control for a much longer period, may be too enticing to pass up for the Marlins. Cleveland just needs to reach out and find out if they are going to seriously entertain moving Luzardo or if they are willing to take an overpay at this time. Either way, calling Miami should be near the top of the Guardians' to-do list.

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