One of the biggest surprise stories in Major League Baseball this year is the Cleveland Guardians. They entered the season with a win total over/under of 91 at Caesars Ohio Sportsbook. As of June 18, Cleveland is 44-25 with a five-game lead in the American League Central division race.
The team’s pitching staff has been solid, but could the Guardians make a deal to bolster their rotation? BetOhio.com compiled some hypothetical odds for which MLB starters the Guardians could add before the MLB’s July 30 trade deadline. Two New York Mets are near the top of the list.
Cleveland Guardians SP Trade Candidates
Pitcher | Odds | Percent Chance |
Blue Jays P Yusei Kikuchi | +450 | 18.2% |
Mets P Sean Manaea | +500 | 16.7% |
Mets P Luis Severino | +500 | 16.7% |
Marlins P Jesus Luzardo | +700 | 12.5% |
Angels P Tyler Anderson | +900 | 10.0% |
White Sox P Garrett Crochet | +1000 | 9.1% |
Athletics P JP Sears | +1000 | 9.1% |
The Field | +1250 | 7.4% |
How 2024 Cleveland Guardians Are Faring
First-year manager Stephen Vogt has the Guardians on a 103-win pace, which would be the fourth time Cleveland has ever won 100 games and the first since 2017, when the team finished 102-60. The Guardians seek their sixth AL Central crown since 2016 and have been proving a strong return for the team’s backers at Ohio sportsbooks.
A big reason for Cleveland’s resurgence this season has been the pitching staff. As of June 18, the Guardians rank seventh MLB-wide in ERA (3.48) and WHIP (1.18) and sixth in batting average against (.229). Starter Ben Lively (1.2 Wins Above Replacement) and relievers Emmanual Clase (1.8), Hunter Gaddis (1.1) and Cade Smith (1.1) all have WAR totals in excess of one this season.
Given the risky nature of pitching, though, it’s safe to say that Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff and President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti are on the lookout for additional starting pitching to bolster the team down the stretch.
Keep up with Cleveland Guardians World Series Odds all season at BetOhio.com.
Top Possible Guardians Trade Candidates
Right now, we see a host of veteran starters atop our Cleveland SP trade odds board. A sixth-year southpaw out of Japan, Yusei Kikuchi leads the way with trade odds of +450. That is just ahead of Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, both from the Mets, who are listed at +500 apiece.
Kikuchi has posted a 4-5 mark north of the border this season with 1.2 WAR and a 3.26 ERA in 14 starts, ranking well below his career average ERA of 4.55 and WAR of 0.54 in his first five MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays.
You won’t find these odds at Ohio sports betting app operators; they are exclusive to BetOhio.com.
Manaea has a 4-3 mark with a 4.11 ERA and 0.5 WAR total in 13 starts with New York this year, his first with the franchise. He had previously been with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Severino (4-2, 3.12) has a 1.1 WAR in 13 starts with the Metropolitans, having seen his fair share of ups and downs in his first season in Queens after spending his first eight MLB seasons in the Bronx with the Yankees.
Other Pitchers Cleveland Could Covet
Former A’s ace Jesus Luzardo (at +700 odds) and Tyler Anderson of the Los Angeles Angels (+900) also are at the upper end of the possible trade targets for the Guardians, who have +750 odds at bet365 Ohio Sportsbook to win the American League pennant.
Luzardo has a 5.00 ERA and a 0.8 WAR total in 12 starts for the last-place Marlins. But he has 559 strikeouts in 512 innings in the majors and that could entice Cleveland to make a move for him.
Anderson (6-6, 2.58, WAR of 3.5) has been one of the few bright spots for the woebegone Angels this year. Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox and JP Sears of the Athletics (+1000 each) also have seen similar success on terrible teams.
The Guardians are -700 at BetMGM Ohio Sportsbook to make the playoffs.
Crochet (6-5, 3.16) has stitched up opposing hitters to the tune of a 3.1 WAR across 82.2 innings for the SouthSiders this year in 15 starts. Sears is 4-6 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.4 WAR in 15 starts for the A’s.
Regardless of who the Guardians acquire before the end of next month, those players will likely fill in key roles on a team that appears set for a deep playoff run this fall. That adds pressure for the team’s front office to do their research and land quality trade candidates in 2024.
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USA Network Today photo by Ken Blaze
