“Cleveland Guardians are a shocking fit for top free-agent pitcher”.

The Cleveland Guardians aren’t typically known for spending big, but could they ultimately change their ways this offseason?

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report seems to agree and has named the Guardians as the top candidates for star pitcher Blake Snell in free agency.

“This would be a big expense for a Guardians team that generally eschews flashy additions, but given that they have the talent to challenge for a title if they can bring in a few significant outside players, now is the time “To invest it, and Snell is the perfect target,” Reuter wrote.

Snell would absolutely be a perfect target for Cleveland. After all, the Guardians had one of the worst starting lineups in baseball that year, but they cruised to the AL Central Division title with an outstanding bullpen. Strengthening the starting rotation would make the Guardians pitching staff absolutely lethal as a whole.

Snell made 20 starts with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, going 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA, allowing just 65 hits and recording 145 strikeouts in 104 innings.

Additionally, the 31-year-old was particularly dominant in the second half, posting a 1.45 ERA and limiting batters to a miniscule .133 batting average.

Snell broke into the major leagues in 2016 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Oddly enough, he’s only made one All-Star appearance, but he has two Cy Young awards to his name, most recently one in 2023 when he went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA with the San Diego Padres .

The Guardians rank 23rd in the MLB in payroll, so it seems incredibly unlikely that they will sign Snell. But perhaps the front office sees the great need and decides to make a big splash.