The recent iterations of the Guardians are no stranger to signing pitchers who have question marks in their medicals. In June 2024, the Guardians signed Matthew Boyd to a one-year contract while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
A month later, they acquired Alex Cobb in a trade with the Giants despite the fact that Cobb hadn’t pitched in a game due to a hip injury. Last offseason, they rolled the dice on John Means’ Tommy John recovery.
The results have been a bit of a mixed bag. Boyd was a clear win, Cobb was a loss and Means has an incomplete grade since the Guardians still need to make a decision about his club option for 2026.