Young Guardians pitching prospect could become X-factor in potential trade talks 

We’re officially in the second half, which means that trade deadline season is here. 

While the hot stove hasn’t officially been turned on (unless you’re counting the Astros’ decision to trade the husk of Lance McCullers Jr. to the Brewers, we haven’t seen a ton of impact trades. 

But they’re going to come eventually, and, when they do, the Guardians could be in the center of it given their obvious needs and loaded farm system. 

And one of the prospects from that loaded farm system who could end up turning the tide for the Guardians is Braylon Doughty, who is currently pitching with Double-A Akron. 

Braylon Doughty could help the Guardians win any potential trade talks

The Guardians added Doughty to their minor league ranks when they picked him in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Chaparral HS in Temecula, California. 

He made his organizational debut with 85 1/3 innings at Single-A, and started this year at High A Lake County before moving to Double-A Akron at the start of July. 

He’s posted a 6.92 ERA through his first three starts at the level (13 innings), but that’s no reason to panic given there’s always the chance he could be working on some specific things that matter more than results. 

And those results shouldn’t limit the intrigue that teams could feel toward him as a potential trade target. He’s still just 20 years old and entered MLB Pipeline’s top 100 for the first time in his career before the season.

Although the Guardians don’t have a ton of starting pitching depth in the top of their minor league systems, they have an abundance of promising pitching prospects in the lower levels of the minors, so a trade of Doughty would be from a position of strength. 

The Guardians also added to their minor league pitching ranks in this year’s draft with plenty of college and high school hurlers. 

Now, this isn’t to say that Cleveland should trade Doughty just for the sake of trading him. In fact, including him in a trade only makes sense in return for a player with multiple years of control. 

Doughty may not be able to help with the Guardians’ current pitching problems, he’s a part of Cleveland’s new era of pitching. But that era will still be able to move on without him if he’s used to nab an impact and controllable bat like Spencer Steer or Mickey Moniak. 

Although the Guardians love to hoard prospects, they’ve also proven that they’re willing to part with prospects in trades so long as they think they have a roster that’s worth it. 

Not only has this year’s Guardians team shown that they have enough talent to win the American League Central, but they’ve also shown that they have some clear holes.

Doughty is the perfect trade piece who could help the Guardians win any potential trade talk. 

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