No front office is perfect. Every now and then a general manager or president of a baseball department makes a questionable move that doesn’t pay off in the long run.
However, there are also the gambles that front offices take that prove to be a huge success for their organization. So far, it seems that the Cleveland Guardians’ signing of Matthew Boyd and their trade for Alex Cobb fall into the category of risky moves that also mean big wins for the team.
By mid-June, it became clear that Cleveland was in dire need of a starting pitcher. On June 27, they decided to sign veteran starter Matthew Boyd, who was still recovering from Tommy John surgery a year ago.
When the contract was announced, Boyd still had to complete further rehab and it was known that he would not be included in the rotation until August at the earliest.
Chris Antonetti said the front office made the move primarily because they expected a high cost for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. They knew they had to make a move and thought Boyd could give the team a boost down the stretch and they wouldn’t have to give up any capital to get him on their roster.
You never know what to expect from a player returning from chest surgery, but Boyd has been fantastic so far.
Boyd has made four appearances for the Guardians, posting a 2.38 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. The biggest surprise has been his swing-and-miss pitches, as the 33-year-old has a 23.3 percent strikeout rate. Boyd even had an eight-strikeout performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.
Up to this point, Boyd was everything the Guardians wanted and more.
Cleveland once again took a risk with an injured veteran pitcher and traded Alex Cobb from the San Francisco Giants on MLB transfer deadline day.
Cobb underwent surgery on his left hip last offseason and struggled with shoulder issues during rehab, and he had yet to make a major league start when the Guardians signed him in 2024.
Cleveland’s signing of Cobb was also a big question mark. He was a veteran starter who hadn’t pitched in a major league game in nearly a full year, and there were a lot of unknowns about his performance.
Cobb, however, has been fantastic, starting three times for Cleveland and has a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched.
On Sunday, he even pitched a perfect game until the seventh inning, showing that the 36-year-old still has a lot left in the tank. He achieved this feat after spending over a week on the injured list after breaking a fingernail.
Yes, that’s a very small sample size from Boyd and Cobb. However, we have to remember that these were low-risk but lucrative moves designed to help the Guardians now, and they clearly are.
Considering how thin Cleveland’s rotation has been all season, it’s fair to say that these risky trades are proving to be an asset for the Guardians, and we have to give the management credit for recognizing their value and going after them.
