Potential Guardians trade target considered to be off the market

It is expected that the Cleveland Guardians will make a trade for a starting pitcher before the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline. The Guardians have managed to get to the top of the American League Central division with their current rotation, but it has been abundantly clear for some time that reinforcements will be needed, not just bringing Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen back into the fold. They need external help.

There has been speculation regarding the future of Chris Bassitt in Toronto, but it now appears that he is going to stay put. According to a recent report from Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, "The Blue Jays aren’t shopping him and are likely to keep him.". This puts quite the damper on any hope of Cleveland somehow finding a way to work out a deal with Toronto, as unlikely as that seemed before this report.

The biggest obstacle for the Guardians regarding a potential acquisition of Bassitt was always going to be his contract. Bassitt signed a three-year $63 million deal with the Blue Jays prior to the 2023 season and is making $22 million in 2024 and 2025. The problem with this is not necessarily the salary but rather Bassitt's age. The Toledo native is currently 35 years old and will be 36 next season. Committing that amount of money to someone his age is not something the Guardians are usually comfortable doing. More often than not, Cleveland is the team moving someone at the age making that amount of money because they prefer to get out ahead of any possible decline in performance with a highly-paid player.

Now that Bassitt is no longer an option to consider, the Guardians will have to evaluate other options that may be available to them. While adding Bassitt would have been nice, they can now focus on the player who could be a better match for their current roster configuration and competitive timeline.