The Guardians are still shopping for starting pitching depth, and two names worth watching are Michael Soroka and Nick Pivetta.
That push lines up with what Zack Meisel emphasized from the GM Meetings: the team is spending a lot of time talking to agents and trying to add depth to the rotation. With that in mind, it makes sense to widen the circle a bit and take a closer look at a pair of free-agent starters who could fit, even if the price tags have been a little higher than expected.
Pivetta is the more electric name on paper. The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 2.86 ERA and a 2.21 FIP with an 11/2 K/BB/9 in just 34 innings for the Padres, but the catch is obvious: he was limited by an elbow strain in his pitching arm.
That’s the kind of detail that sends up alarms fast. MLB Trade Rumors has him at two years and $26 million, which would look like a bargain if not for the elbow concerns.
Still, the Guardians have built a reputation for helping pitchers manage health and rebuild value, so a two-year deal with a player opt-out could be the sort of structure that makes sense for both sides. Over the last two seasons, Pivetta has a 2.86 ERA, and when he’s right, he looks like a front-of-the-rotation arm.
The other option, Soroka, comes with his own injury history, but he gave the Braves 116 innings last season and did it with a 3.41 ERA, a 3.19 FIP and an 8.84/2.25 K/BB/9. He’s 29 and has topped 150 innings only once in his career, back in 2019, but he didn’t have any arm issues last season.
MLB Trade Rumors projects him at two years and $26 million, while FanGraphs has him at two years and $34 million. If Cleveland believes it can help pitchers stay healthy, Soroka profiles as a solid mid-rotation arm when available, and a similar two-year arrangement with a player opt-out could work for him as well.
In Other News...
Emmanuel Clase Case Just Took A Brutal Turn For Cleveland Fans
Federal prosecutors say Emmanuel Clase was carrying a tax burden of more than $670,000, and they now argue that debt helped drive the alleged pitch-rigging scheme that has stunned Cleveland. The Guardians closer has already been suspended and on unpaid leave since 2025 while the investigation unfolded, but the latest filing gives the case a sharper and more troubling shape for a player who was once one of the most trusted arms in the bullpen.
The charges now hanging over Clase include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and money laundering, with prosecutors saying they have evidence of coordinated pitches that benefited bettors. For Cleveland fans, the ugly part is not just the headline, but the suggestion that the alleged scheme was tied to a personal financial pressure point, turning a baseball scandal into something far bigger than a simple betting violation. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Bazzanas Rookie Year Left Guardians Fans With A Real Debate
Travis Bazzanas rookie season gave Guardians fans plenty to chew on, even before the year was over. He made his All-Star Game debut for the American League as a defensive substitute, a nice marker for a player whose season was defined less by a single stretch than by the way he kept popping up in big moments.
The debate came from the uneven shape of the year itself. Bazzana opened strong and closed strong, but the middle months dragged down his overall Rookie of the Year case, and the BBWAA voters reflected that by placing him 10th behind teammates Parker Messick and Chase DeLauter. For Cleveland, it leaves a familiar kind of question: how much weight should be given to the flashes, and how much to the slump in between? [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Vogt Keeps Earning Respect For Clevelands Fast-Rising Core
Stephen Vogts first full season in the dugout ended with another sign of how quickly he has gained respect around the league. The Cleveland Guardians manager finished fourth in the 2026 American League Manager of the Year voting, a race won by Chicago White Sox skipper Will Venable and rounded out ahead of Kevin Cash and Chad Tracy.
Vogt picked up one second-place vote and six third-place votes for nine points, a solid showing for a manager still building his track record while guiding Clevelands fast-rising core. Even without landing in the top three, the vote total underscored that his work has not gone unnoticed, and it adds another layer to the attention surrounding a club that seems to be drawing more of it by the week. [Read more 🡒]