Will Guardians trade for a starter to address rotation questions?

PHILADELPHIA -- With less than 72 hours until Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, the pitching market has really started sizzling. Though a few deals for starters have materialized, relievers are suddenly being moved left and right. The flurry of activity seems to indicate that if the market for starting pitchers is going to rev up, it’s going to happen soon.

The lingering question being: To what extent will the Guardians get involved? Cleveland might already sport the game’s best relief corps, but Saturday night’s 8-0 loss to Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park underscored the top-heavy nature of its rotation and its most glaring need heading into the Deadline.

A night after Ben Lively stifled one of the National League’s top lineups, Carlos Carrasco couldn’t escape the fourth inning as the Phillies evened this series between the teams with the two best records in the Majors with a rout. Carrasco’s second consecutive start allowing six earned runs ballooned his ERA to 5.68, third worst in MLB among the 109 pitchers with at least 80 innings.

“I’m just missing my spots,” Carrasco said. “That’s when I get hurt. I’m trying to throw quality pitches, but when I don’t, that’s when they can get it.”

Carrasco faced one over the minimum over the first three innings. But he fell apart in the fourth, allowing six of the first seven batters to reach, including homers to Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh. Kyle Schwarber then connected for a back-breaking three-run tater off reliever Nick Sandlin to give the Phillies a seven-run frame, and the Guardians offense mustered next to nothing against rookie right-hander Tyler Phillips (first career shutout) en route to its 11th blanking of the season.

“Yesterday we played some good baseball, Guardians baseball,” outfielder Steven Kwan said. “Today didn’t go our way. If we were to ponder on that, then tomorrow is going to be bad. It’s a good thing that we don’t. We have our plans. We understand it’s a long season. Today was tough, but we’ve got tomorrow.”

For the team with the American League’s best record, though, it’s glaring how different they can look one night into another. But that’s a function of their top-heavy rotation, which ranks 24th in MLB in ERA (fourth worst among AL clubs). Their top two starters, Tanner Bibee and Lively, have given them a chance to win most times out. Two other Opening Day rotation pieces -- Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen -- are in Triple-A. Ace Shane Bieber was lost to injury in April. Second-year righty Gavin Williams has been reliable since rejoining the mix in early June.

The rest of the rotation, though, is full of question marks, including the 37-year-old Carrasco. Which is why, although they could go a number of different directions at the Deadline (they also need a bat -- their 11 shutouts are the second most in the AL this season), the Guardians’ biggest need is a starting pitcher.

Will Carrasco still be in the rotation next week, or will he lose his spot if Cleveland makes a trade to upgrade the rotation? Inside the clubhouse, they’re doing their best to blot out the noise.

“I think we do a good job of not letting outside media sneak in,” Kwan said. “It’s probably different for every person. I try not to look at Twitter or Instagram -- the rumors and stuff pop up on those sites.”

The Guardians have been in similar positions before.

“[Last year], we did differently [than] what we thought we would’ve done [at the Deadline],” Kwan said. “I thought we were buying in the second half, and things obviously went differently. It feels similar to that instance. My first year [in 2022], we were really successful. I didn’t know any better, so I didn’t really know what was going on. But it still feels like that same kind of energy.”