Guardians called 'best fit' to acquire bounce-back ace on trade block

Some expected the 2024 season not to be too kind to the Cleveland Guardians.

Cleveland didn't enter the season with very high expectations but it has just found ways to win games. The Guardians have been fantastic and have the most wins in the American League at 61. Cleveland has been great but still hasn't been mentioned much as contenders to win the World Series.

The Guardians should be getting some more love across the baseball world and adding a frontline starter ahead of the trade deadline could help this to become the case.

Cleveland has been linked to a handful of players as possible trade targets including Detroit Tigers bounce-back ace Jack Flaherty by Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer.

"Elsewhere in the American League Central, the first-place Guardians rank dead-last with the 0.2 WAR they've gotten from their starting pitchers," Rymer said. "They needed to be seeking upgrades even before Tanner Bibee left his start on Wednesday with an injury.

"There's no solid connection between the Guardians and Flaherty, but he's the sort of top-of-the-rotation arm they must be prioritizing. And while trading with division opponents is never ideal, he'd cost them a lot less than, say, Garrett Crochet or Tarik Skubal."

Cleveland has found ways to win games despite not getting much out of the rotation. Flaherty could help with this. The 28-year-old has an impressive 2.95 ERA in 18 starts and widely is expected to be traded ahead of the July 30th deadline. He should be near the top of Cleveland's wish list.