Deadline trades provide new momentum for Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have taken significant steps to prepare their club for a potentially long run in the Major League Baseball postseason.

The team’s starting pitchers and offensive approach needed improvement.

In separate transactions, the Guardians bolstered their roster for the major leagues by acquiring pitcher Alex Cobb and outfielder Lane Thomas.

The Guardians HQ gave the team a much-needed boost.

According to this veteran scout, both trades offer the Guardians low risk, high reward.

Poor pitching performances and serious injuries are causing huge headaches for the Guardians’ management.

Cleveland starters Triston McKenzie and Logan T. Allen struggled early on.

Both were sent to Triple-A Columbus to get their pitching mechanics back.

Right-hander Gavin Williams injured his pitching elbow during spring training and was sidelined until his first start on July 3.

All-Star Shane Bieber required Tommy John surgery after making just two starts in 2024.

Veteran right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, now 37, returned to Cleveland’s rotation after spending three seasons with the New York Mets.

Carrasco has been inconsistent and has struggled to reach the fifth inning in his starts.

The Guardians recently signed veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd, who is returning from his own Tommy John surgery, and is currently undergoing rehab assignments to prepare for his entry into the rotation.

Even with Boyd in the fold, the Guardians’ management went to work to bolster their thin starting rotation.

During the trade deadline, the Guardians acquired veteran right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb from the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants received left-handed pitcher Jacob Bresnahan and a player to be named later.

Cobb is recovering from hip surgery and has not pitched in 2024. He also had a sore right shoulder.

Cobb began rehab work with the Giants and will likely continue that with Cleveland before returning to the big leagues.

About Alex Cobb:

Cobb, 36, is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds.

In the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, Cobb was a fourth round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted out of Vero Beach High School.

Cobb received a $400,000 signing bonus.

On May 1, 2011, at age 23, Cobb made his Major League debut.

Cobb pitched for the Rays for six seasons before signing as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles in March 2018.

Cobb was traded by the Orioles to the Los Angeles Angels in February 2021.

In November, Cobb became a free agent and signed with the Giants.

Cobb was an All-Star with the Giants last season, going 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He struck out an average of 7.8 batters per nine innings, while walking 2.2 per nine innings.

Last season, brooksbaseball.net reported that Cobb threw two-seam and four-seam fastballs that topped 94 mph. He also used a slider, a curve and a split.

It appears Cobb or Boyd will eventually take Carrasco’s place in the rotation, following right-handers Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Ben Lively. The fifth starter at the moment is rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo.

While the Guards offense got off to a hot start to the season, they have recently hit a wall, hitting a few bumps.

To improve the offense, the Guardians traded prospect pitcher Alex Clemmey and prospect infielders Rafael Ramirez Jr. and Jose Tena to the Washington Nationals on July 29 for outfielder Lane Thomas.

About Lane Thomas:

The right-handed Thomas, 28 years old, is 1.83 meters tall and weighs 88 kilos.

Thomas was selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 out of Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Thomas received a $750,000 signing bonus from Toronto.

The Blue Jays traded Thomas to the St. Louis Cardinals in July 2021, receiving an international signing bonus in return.

The Cardinals then traded Thomas to the Washington Nationals at the 2021 trade deadline for pitcher Jon Lester.

Thomas is now under a one-year, $2.2 million contract and has one season of arbitration eligibility remaining before becoming a free agent after the 2025 season.

This longtime scout saw a lot of Thomas when he played in the Arizona Fall League in 2018.

At the time, Thomas showed off his tremendous speed, solid passing ability and strength to be an interesting prospect.

His combination of power and speed and his ability to play all three outfield positions fit well with the Guardians’ approach on the field.

Thomas can hit the ball to all parts of the field, find the swing of the bat well, recognize the ball well and has excellent hitting discipline.

For this old scout, who plays every day, Thomas could easily hit 20 home runs. He could also steal 20 or more bases, if given the green light.

The Guardians will likely use Thomas behind Steven Kwan and ahead of Jose Ramirez, adding depth to the lineup with quality contact hitters.

The speed of Kwan, Thomas and Ramirez at the top of the Guardians lineup could cause chaos for the opposition.

Thomas received mixed reviews on defense.

According to this scout, his speed and athleticism, along with his strong and accurate arm, would suit the center or right wing position well.

Thomas provides an offensive upgrade to the Guardians team, which can achieve very favorable results in the 2024 playoffs with its new starting pitchers and improved offense.

Overall, the recent signings can only make Cleveland Guardians fans excited.