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MLB Insider Dubs Guardians Potential Trade Destination for Streaking Starting Pitcher

By Larry Rupp

The Cleveland Guardians have been dubbed a potential trade destination for a streaking starting pitcher.
The Cleveland Guardians have been dubbed a potential trade destination for a streaking starting pitcher. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Cleveland Guardians entered the season as fringe playoff contenders and sit just 2.0 games back of first place in the AL Central near the end of June. Capturing a divisional title is not an unrealistic goal, which has Cleveland lined up to be an underrated buyer at the trade deadline.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand projects the Guardians to be in search of some starting pitching depth and Tyler Mahle sticks out as a potential target. The current Cincinnati Reds right-hander is earning a modest $5.2 million in 2022 and is eligible for arbitration for one more season at the age of 27.

Cleveland Guardians Trade Rumors

While Mahle has heard his name floated in trade talks for seasons now, his four-inning, eight-run outing on May 24 diminished interest for the time being. However, the sixth-year pro has bounced back by posting a 2.14 ERA and racking up 40 strikeouts in 33.2 innings since that day (5 starts).

Cleveland has an ace in Shane Bieber leading the rotation, but back-end starters like Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac have struggled to show any level of consistency. Both pitchers own an ERA north of 4.15 and have combined for a 4-9 record. That is not going to get the job done down the stretch.

It's clear that a rotation full of youth could use an established arm to bring some experience onto the roster. Mahle could be the player that pushes Cleveland over the Minnesota Twins. For now, the Guardians have odds set at +240 to win the AL Central, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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