The Guardians already dipped into the Angels’ reset once, and they may have another opening now.
At the end of August, Cleveland landed outfielder Jo Adell from Los Angeles in a deal that sent minor league catcher Jacob Cozart the other way. It wasn’t the flashiest move of the deadline, but it did show the Angels were willing to change course after seven years of sitting on the fence under former general manager Perry Minasian.
Now that the offseason has arrived, the Guardians could benefit again from that same shift in direction, this time with starting pitcher Reid Detmers in the mix. Cleveland still may need a couple more bats - when haven’t they - but a Detmers trade could push the rotation toward being one of baseball’s most dangerous weapons.
Detmers, 27, is coming off the best year of his career. He posted a 3.36 ERA over 185 innings for the Angels, a strong season on its own and an especially meaningful one given the winding path that got him there.
Los Angeles rushed him to the majors in the middle of the 2021 season after only 14 minor league appearances. A year later, he flashed his ceiling with a no-hitter against the Rays. He was merely decent in 2023, then slid all the way to Triple-A midway through 2024 after putting up a 6.49 ERA in 12 starts.
The Angels even moved him to the bullpen in 2025 before shifting him back to the rotation last season, and that move paid off. Detmers tightened things up as the year wore on, finishing with a 1.89 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break.
The biggest reason for the jump was a nearly three percent drop in his walk rate, plus his continued trust in the curveball - unless, as the source notes, he was facing Angel Martínez.
There’s a catch, of course. Detmers has only two years of club control left, which creates a split evaluation for any team interested in him.
He won’t carry the same trade price as a pitcher with more team control, but that shorter window also means the Angels should ask for less in return. He’s projected to make $7.5 million in 2027 through arbitration, so the salary is hardly a deal-breaker.
For Cleveland, the appeal is obvious. A rotation headlined by Gavin Williams, Messick and Detmers would be a serious group, and Tanner Bibee would give the Guardians a strong No. 4 if he isn’t traded. The article also notes that Cleveland’s lineup could still use more help, but bringing in Detmers would strengthen the club’s biggest edge even further.
In Other News...
Guardians May Have A 2027 Rotation Answer Emerging Late
Austin Petersons late-season run gave the Guardians a useful look at a pitcher who may fit somewhere in their plans beyond this October. In the final regular-season game, he covered the last five innings and helped save the bullpen for the postseason, a practical assignment that also happened to showcase the kind of versatility Cleveland tends to value. His appearances suggested real upside, and his background as a minor league starter only adds to the intrigue.
With the pitching staff still unsettled behind the top three starters, Peterson has put himself into the mix for a bigger role down the line. Whether that path leads back into a rotation conversation or into a bullpen job, he has given the organization something it did not necessarily have a few weeks ago: a reason to keep watching his development closely. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Already Face A Tough Call On Four Familiar Names
The Guardians offseason got moving quickly with four familiar names electing free agency from last years roster: Austin Hedges, Rhys Hoskins, Nathaniel Lowe and Foster Griffin. Even before the market really gets going, Cleveland has a few obvious holes to sort through, including first base, backup catcher and a spot in the pitching rotation, which gives this next stretch a little more urgency than usual.
How the front office handles those decisions will say plenty about the direction of the roster. Griffin appears to be the most appealing option among the group, while Hoskins looks like the least likely to come back, and the rest of the picture may be shaped as much by the market as by the Guardians own preferences. For a club trying to keep its offseason on track, it is the kind of early test that can quietly define everything that follows. [Read more 🡒]
Chase DeLauter Is Suddenly Facing A Huge Guardians Question
Chase DeLauters first full season in the majors gave the Guardians exactly the kind of build they hoped for when he arrived as a highly regarded young outfielder. In 133 games, he put together a .287/.363/.457 slash line with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs, production that has him in the mix for both AL Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger award as Cleveland looks for more impact bats to pair with its pitching core.
The Rookie of the Year race, though, is where the real intrigue sits for Cleveland. DeLauter will be competing with teammate Parker Messick for the honor, even if Detroit infielder Kevin McGonigle is the favorite, and that makes the Guardians attention drift to a different prize. DeLauters offensive profile gives him a strong chance to bring home Silver Slugger recognition, which would be a fitting marker for a debut season that already put him firmly on the leagues radar. [Read more 🡒]