If Guardians Make This Pitcher Available, Red Sox Should Make Call

If the Red Sox are looking for cost-controlled starting pitching under contract beyond this season at the MLB trade deadline, their options are limited. The Cleveland Guardians, however, could present a possibility for Chaim Bloom.

The Guardians might be willing to trade right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, The Athletic reported Monday.

There’s no reporting yet suggesting the Red Sox have any interest in acquiring Civale, but if he’s made available, he’s the type of player they supposedly seek. Bloom admitted the Sox, like just about every other team, is looking for starting pitching, and he also said “the most attractive opportunities” for him would be non-rentals.

Civale is under team control through the 2025 season, and as The Athletic points out, he’s expected to see his $2.6 million salary doubled. Even if he landed, say, a $6 million deal for 2024, he’d still be ridiculously affordable given his production. BaseballTradeValues.com ranks him as the seventh-most valuable trade chip in the Guardians organization, for what that’s worth.

The 28-year-old is 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts this season. The strikeout numbers aren’t especially impressive — he’s fanning fewer than seven batters per nine innings — but he also doesn’t walk anyone. Civale has issued just 44 free passes in 33 starts dating back to the beginning of last season.

His 3.55 FIP seems to suggest he’s either benefited from strong defense and/or has been slightly lucky. The Guardians are a middle-of-the-road defensive club, though they are certainly better than the Red Sox in the field. Boston could see modest improvements on the infield with the return of Trevor Story in the coming days or weeks, but it’s certainly something to consider when looking at Civale’s body of work.

Civale is also a familiar face for New England baseball fans. He’s from East Windsor, Conn., and he played his college ball in Boston at Northeastern.

Cleveland is technically in the thick of the American League Central race, so the Guardians could hold onto Civale and make a push for a playoff spot. But the Guardians don’t look like a legitimate World Series contender, and the dearth of controllable starting pitching in the market makes Civale even more valuable. That will make it tough for the Red Sox — or any team — to pry the righty out of Cleveland before Tuesday afternoon.

The Red Sox certainly have the prospects to get something done, and there might be players on the big league roster they could involve to make a deal if that’s the route they want to choose.