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

5. Kyle Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals

Speaking of tough moves to pull off, here's Kyle Gibson. The oldest player on this list at 36-years-old, Gibson might be a difficult player to pry away from the St. Louis Cardinals. However, if the Cardinals fall off before the deadline, Gibson may become a name to watch.

As it stands, St. Louis sits at .500 on the season and is only 6.5 games back of Milwaukee in the NL Central, a rather easy hill to climb in baseball. However, making that climb and falling down the division could be just as easy. While St. Louis is just 6.5 back of Milwaukee, they are only two games in front of the Chicago Cubs, who occupy last in the division. A tight race to be sure for the Central.

So, let's say the Cardinals fall off enough to consider dealing at the deadline. Kyle Gibson would immediately become one of the most desirable names on the market. He only just signed with St. Louis this past November after leading the American League in starts with 33 in 2023 and was an All-Star as recently as 2021.

This season, Gibson is doing what he normally does. He's made 14 starts with a 3.44 ERA, but his strikeouts per nine is up to 7.9, the highest it's been since 2019. On top of that, his contract isn't too bad. He's making $12 million this year with a club option for next year, meaning Cleveland could easily get out of the deal after this year, which is the ideal situation.

Even if St. Louis is still contending at the deadline, this might be possible to pull off. Cleveland would need to send pieces that are more intriguing, but a mutual aid deal might be in the works between the Cardinals and Guardians should their needs align with what the other has to offer.