Unsigned veteran pitcher could be worthwhile flier for Cleveland Guardians

At any given moment, a Major League Baseball team can go from feeling comfortable with those who make up their pitching staff to finding themselves in a situation where they are desperate for pitching help. If there is one team that knows this all too well, it is the Cleveland Guardians. That is why it is imperative that the Guardians have more than enough options available to them in the event their pitching gets banged up again. One such option that remains unsigned and would make sense for the Guardians to bring into the mix is Spencer Turnbull.

The 32-year-old Turnbull is coming off an injury shortened campaign in 2024, appearing in just 17 games for the Philadelphia Phillies before shut down for the year in June with a lat injury. While the shortened season from Turnbull was discouraging, considering this was a chance to prove himself over the course of an entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2022, he was incredibly effective when he was able to pitch in 2024.

Turnbull pitched to a career-best 2.65 ERA and second-best 1.049 WHIP while posting a career-high 9.6 K/9 in 54.1 innings pitched for the Phillies. Despite his performance on the mound, Turnbull is yet to sign with a team ahead of this season. As the start of the regular season draws closer, Turnbull could end up landing in a price range that the Guardians would be more than comfortable adding to their payroll.

Yes, there are concerns with Turnbull's durability and overall availability over the last few years, and that is not something that is going to get better with time. However, in the right environment and the correct usage, Turnbull could very well pick up where he left off last season and continue being an effective pitcher. With Cleveland's successful track record of maximizing the performance of their pitchers, Turnbull would be an interesting addition to an already versatile pitching staff.