Cleveland Guardians urged to pursue high-risk star pitcher as free agent

Cleveland Guardians They’re in dire need of pitching, and they’ll almost certainly (hopefully) try to solve that problem through free agency.

The Guardians aren’t typically known for making expensive offseason appearances, but considering they made it to the ALCS this year, they may decide to buck the trend and fill some major holes in their roster.

That’s why James Mastrucci from Away Back Gone urges Cleveland to sign Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty in free agency.

“At 29 years old, Flaherty is having his best season in a very long time. Flaherty will have a lot of suitors and will likely fetch big money on the free agent market,” Mastrucci wrote. “This will make signing Flaherty difficult, but not impossible. “Cleveland will need to approach this with a level of seriousness that hasn’t been seen in quite some time if they are going to be a viable option to sign Flaherty.”

In fact, there were rumors that the Guardians were potential suitors for Flaherty back at the trade deadline when he was with Detroit Tigersbut the Dodgers were able to get him a deal.

Flaherty went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA during the regular season, allowing 135 hits and recording 194 strikeouts in 162 innings of work.

The 29-year-old has a checkered injury history and is also two seasons away from posting a 4.99 ERA. However, he owns a 3.63 lifetime ERA and averages 10.2 knockouts per nine innings, so Flaherty’s ceiling is pretty high.

It’s anyone’s guess whether Cleveland can actually shell out the money needed to sign Flaherty to a multi-year deal, but there’s no doubt that the star right-hander will instantly bolster the Guardians’ starting rotation as long as he stays healthy.