Is Matthew Boyd the extra arm the Cleveland Guardians need to save its starting rotation?

The Cleveland Guardians have signed Matthew Boyd, but what can he really contribute to the Guardians starting lineup?
The deal is contingent on Boyd, 33, passing a physical. He had reconstructive elbow surgery last year.
Boyd spent eight seasons with AL Central rival Detroit.
The Guardians have built an eight-game lead in their division despite some question marks with their starting staff. They've gotten unexpected production from Ben Lively, who was signed in December, and some of the club's young pitchers like Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have performed well.
Looking to add starting pitching depth, the Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a major league contract with free agent left-hander Matthew Boyd, according to multiple media reports Thursday.
The deal is contingent on Boyd, 33, passing a physical. He had reconstructive elbow surgery last year.
Boyd spent eight seasons with AL Central rival Detroit.
The Guardians have built an eight-game lead in their division despite some question marks with their starting staff. They've gotten unexpected production from Ben Lively, who was signed in December, and some of the club's young pitchers like Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have performed well.
Triston McKenzie and Carlos Carrasco have struggled at times, and the Guardians are still waiting for Gavin Williams to make his season debut after the hard-throwing right-hander hurt his elbow in training camp.
Boyd, if healthy, would give Cleveland first-year manager Stephen Vogt some protection.
Boyd went 5-5 with a 5.45 ERA in 15 starts last season before he was shut down to have surgery two days after his last start. He recently threw for teams in California and reports were that his fastball was lively.
Subscribe and ring the bell for the latest talk about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes: bit.ly/ucss_subscribe

Follow on Twitter: / ultclesports

Watch live on CZcams 11 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays on CZcams and WKYC+ on your Roku and Fire TV apps!

The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Mike Polk Jr., Brad Sellers and Tyvis Powell.
NATIONAL DISCLAIMER: 21+ and present in select states. FanDuel is offering online sports wagering in Kansas under an agreement with Kansas Star Casino, LLC. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 in Arizona, 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, 1-800-9-WITH-IT in Indiana, 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com in Kansas, 1-877-770-STOP in Louisiana, visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland, visit 1800gambler.net in West Virginia, or call 1-800-522-4700 in Wyoming. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call [phone] for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.

[@Elephant2024-wi2li]

It is low risk move and you definitely can never have enough pitching. I say this as a Rays fan, who right now have the equivalent of entire starting pitching staff on the IL.

[@bclaudew3]

save the season no, contribute yes, regardless still a great move. those are the realistic outcomes. can his arm bounce back and get coached up and find himself still yes? he's a lefty, thats always a plus. he even did one season of relief the year before with seattle and was effective, even though he was always a starter. the way the rotation is right now he is great regular season addition. unless he has a ben lively like turnaround this season though he wont make a difference come playoffs.

[@user-cq6yz4pk8p]

I know some of the bats have slumped, but that's really only been in these last few games. It's a 162 game season, hitters are not "on" all the time. I think we have enough good hitting, and good hitting prospects, to make up the difference. Starting pitching should be the focus, 110%. Boyd is intriguing, and management has shown itself to be adept at scouting and signing pitching talent. If Boyd can be even 2/3rds the man he was in Detroit, then we have a guy to slide behind Lively, or between Lively and Bibee. However, we're still going to have to either sign a gem of a free agent, or put together a trade for one additional, injury-free pitcher of #2 or #3 caliber who can pitch deep. I would have said try to get two, but Boyd gives us options with Williams. We're going to have to send Triston down to AAA to work on his stuff. If he says he's not hurt, and it's really a mechanics thing, then it needs to be worked on in the minors. We don't have time for this up here.
If we can get another arm to fit into the starting rotation beyond this hypothetical unnamed pitcher we still need to get, that's even better, but we should also look for one more bullpen reliever. So, not including Boyd, we need to get 1 starter and 1 bullpen arm, if not 2 starters and 1 bullpen arm. I think we have enough money in the till, enough potential prospects to deal to make such a move without gutting the entire system. Again, management has been very good at getting pitching talent, and suddenly we're flush with hitting talent. Sacrifices will have to be made, but if we play our cards right, we could potentially have a multi-championship winning team here for the next few seasons.

[@axminster6]

"The answer of "no" may not surprise you. More at 11."

[@mikeburkholder7063]

I love the tribe but I can see the dolans saying well this is our big move. They’re the worst owners in the bigs