Veteran Guardians beat writer hints at no-brainer trade idea to shore up lineup

There's no denying that it looks like it's going to be a busy offseason for the Cleveland Guardians. While they have some obvious holes in their lineup they need to fill, they also have an abundance of young and talented starting pitching. 

And, according to veteran Guardians beat reporter Paul Hoynes, there’s a chance the Guardians could use that starting pitching depth to help fill some of those aforementioned holes.

The Guardians could use their starting pitching depth to add some outfield help 

Over the weekend Hoynes did a mailbag for Cleveland.com where he fielded a question about whether the Guardians would trade some of their starting pitching depth in exchange for some outfield help. And Hoynes’ answer makes it seem like the Guardians could have a busy offseason.

“Yes, I think they would [trade a starting pitcher]. But it would have to be the right deal. They had a shortage among starting pitchers in 2024 and did a great job rebuilding the rotation this year. They’re not going to do anything to weaken what they re-established this year,” Hoynes said in response to the question about whether the Guardians would trade a starting pitcher in exchange for an outfield bat. 

And the Guardians have no shortage of starting pitching options. They ended the season with a six-man starting rotation and also boast one of the sport’s best pitching factories. But, as Hoynes pointed out, you can never have enough pitching. 

While the Guardians only had 10 players start a game for them this year (a number that would have been smaller had Ben Lively not gotten hurt and Luis Ortiz not gotten suspended), they had 14 players start a game for them in 2024 and needed to get 103 innings out of the ghost of Carlos Carrasco. 

There’s no doubt the Guardians would be able to get a major league-ready outfielder for any of the starting pitchers in their starting rotation, but it would also give them less wiggle room when it comes to adapting to setbacks in the rotation. 

We saw that this year when they easily managed the losses of Lively and Ortiz thanks to strong performances from Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick, who both started the season as pitching depth. 

But they also need help in the outfield. Cleveland outfielders combined for a wRC+ of 79 (the second-lowest mark in baseball), which is the biggest reason why they carried so many rookies on their postseason roster. 

And although those rookies all have potential and should be in the running for a roster spot in the spring, it would also be smart for the front office to bring in at least one established veteran bat into the fold. 

While there are some intriguing veteran outfield options available in free agency, the trade market is still the quickest way for a team to add to its roster  — so long as they’re willing to give up assets. 

We’ll have to wait and see if the Guardians are willing to do that this offseason.