7 starting pitchers the Cleveland Guardians should target at the trade deadline

2. Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox

Sticking with familiar faces but in a different tone, the Cleveland Guardians may be able to crack a deal with the AL Central bottom-dwelling Chicago White Sox. Erick Fedde has faced Cleveland just three times, but perhaps the Guardians could add him to their rotation.

After beginning his career with the Washington Nationals for six years, Fedde was out of the MLB entirely just a season ago, spending the 2023 campaign in Korea. The White Sox brought him back to the majors this season, but given their struggles, the 31-year-old right-handed starter may not be in their future plans.

Fedde has been one of the few bright spots for the White Sox this year, maintaining a 3.09 ERA over 15 starts while amassing 87.1 innings pitched. He's averaging almost a strikeout per inning with 83 sent down and has kept his WHIP at a respectable 1.17 mark.

As for the money side of things, Fedde is on a two-year deal and is set to make $7.5 million both this year and next year. That's a number that wouldn't break the bank and, again, is one of the lower totals you'll see on this list. Does Cleveland need him for two years? Respectfully, I hope not, but having him as a depth piece, if anything, in 2025 may not be a bad idea given this year's starting pitching struggles.

The biggest barrier to this move would be getting the White Sox to deal within the division. With the worst record in baseball, they should be willing to deal anything to anyone, but they might be more inclined to move Fedde out of the division if they do opt to deal him.