A Guardians-Marlins trade to give Cleveland stranglehold on AL Central

The Cleveland Guardians have gotten off to a terrific start to 2024, placing themselves in first place in the AL Central with a record of 37-19.

Cleveland may have the best, most consistent bullpen in all of baseball. But their starting rotation hasn't been as dominant as the bullpen has. An easy way to fix this?

Go all-in and trade for a 26-year-old fringe ace with All-Star potential, in Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo could step into the ace role on the Guardians and turn their entire pitching staff into one of the most dominant in baseball.

Ken Rosenthal recently called Luzardo the "single most likely player to be traded" at this year's trade deadline.

A Guardians-Marlins trade that shows Cleveland's desire to win now

There are a few things that make this trade a possibility. The first thing is going to be the fact that Luzardo is under team control for two more seasons after 2024. Cleveland wouldn't take a huge leap like this for a rental.

With that being said, this is a huge leap. The price for Luzardo won't be cheap, but Cleveland could keep their top five prospects and they hold the number one pick in this season's MLB Draft.

It would take the powerful George Valera, a reliable lefty Joey Cantillo and a speedy outfielder in Jake Fox to make the Marlins consider this deal. Even at this price, it may not be enough for the Marlins, who are bound to get a ton of attention for their southpaw starter.

Valera offers the Marlins a high-ceiling outfielder with the potential to be a future slugger in the big leagues. He has serious power potential and if he can work through some strikeout woes, he could be a legit big leaguer in a few seasons.

Cantillo hasn't pitched in 2024 just yet but is set to begin his season soon. The lefty has done a good job at adding velocity to his arsenal, making him a legit candidate to be in a big league rotation in the near future.

Fox is a bit of a long shot to be a serious big leaguer anytime soon, but he does showcase good speed and a solid glove in the outfield.

For the Guardians, this trade would help push them further up the AL Central. The Royals are currently hot on their tail and if Cleveland isn't careful, the surging Royals could pass them by. The Guardians need to be aggressive at the deadline, but not reckless. Making a trade for a young, controllable pitcher like Luzardo makes complete sense.