The Cleveland Guardians are finalizing a deal to acquire right-hander Alex Cobb from the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Giants will receive left-hander Jacob Bresnahan and a player to be named later. Cobb, 36, was on track to make his season debut Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. Cobb is in the final season of a two-year, $20 million contract but became a third year after the Giants chose to exercise a $10 million club option. The veteran is coming off an All-Star campaign with the Giants, posting a 3.87 ERA over 28 starts in 2023.
Cobb is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.
SF Giants Trade Alex Cobb to Guardians
Cobb has missed this season due to recovering from offseason hip surgery, then halted his throwing program in the spring due to shoulder issues. He finally started to progress and began a rehab assignment on June 30, posting a 3.92 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings across six starts in the minors.
Cleveland is hoping that Cobb will provide depth to a rotation that ranks 24th in the majors in ERA. Two notable pitchers are missing from their rotation: Shane Bieber (Tommy John surgery) and Triston McKenzie (demoted to minors following inconsistencies). Cleveland has a 5 1/2 game lead in the American League Central over the Minnesota Twins. Cobb is the second notable addition the Guardians have made, joining outfielder Lane Thomas, who was acquired on Monday.
Bresnahan, 19, recently earned a promotion to Single-A after starting in the FCL. He owns a 2.70 ERA and 66 strikeouts through 50 innings across both levels. The PTBNL will be revealed later, mainly due to the return being lighter than the Trevor Rogers trade. Rogers has struggled for most of the season. On the other hand, getting a prospect back for Cobb is a good play for the Giants.
More to come.
