Zach Plesac is no longer a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Plesac entered this year with a respectable 4.04 ERA across four MLB seasons but simply could not find his stuff in 2023. The righty allowed 18 earned runs in 21.1 innings (7.59 ERA) across five starts in April, with a worryingly-high WHIP of 1.969.
His advanced statistics were just as poor. His average exit velocity, expected batting average, and strikeout percentage all ranked in the seventh percentile or worse among MLB pitchers. Zach Plesac's struggles earned him a demotion to Triple-A on May 4, but the 28-year-old was still unable to find any improvement.
In five starts with the Columbus Clippers, Plesac's ERA was 7.56. His strikeout numbers were up and WHIP was down, but he had significant issues with the long ball — giving up nine home runs during his month in the minors. After his short stint in Triple-A, Cleveland decided it had seen enough of its 2016 12th-round pick. On June 4, the Guardians designated Zach Plesac for assignment while activating Triston McKenzie.
It was an unceremonious end for a pitcher who never quite capitalized on his breakout potential. While this is likely a low moment in Plesac's career, the good news for him is that many ballclubs are in pursuit of his services. Here are the five best destinations for the former Guardians pitcher.
5 best destinations for Zach Plesac after getting designated for assignment
Tampa Bay Rays
Over the last few years, the Tampa Bay Rays have been something of a reclamation shelter for pitchers, bringing in the forgotten and downtrodden pitchers of the league and turning them into wizards out on the mound.
Zach Plesac showed glimpses of his potential during the 2020 season, when he had a 2.28 ERA across eight starts. This period included starts of 7.2 and 8 innings with no runs allowed and 11 strikeouts in each. For the Rays, this is a gamble worth taking.
St. Louis Cardinals
After a horrid start, the Cardinals rebounded with an 11-3 record over the next two weeks. Since then, the Redbirds have returned to playing sub-.500 ball. The pitching staff has been subpar all season, and Miles Mikolas is the only member of the Cardinals rotation with a sub-4.00 ERA.
The Cardinals will certainly be in the trade market for a starter, but will also be ready to pounce on low-cost options like Pleseac.
Los Angeles Dodgers
With Julio Urias and Dustin May both on the IL, plus Noah Syndergaard and Michael Grove struggling, the Los Angeles Dodgers could use another starting pitcher to back up their high-powered offense. Dodger Stadium has also been a welcoming place for pitchers in search of a turnaround, as current Dodgers Shelby Miller and Blake Treinen both struggled before coming to LA.
Boston Red Sox
No team with a winning record has a worse ERA among its starting pitchers (5.29) than the Boston Red Sox. Chris Sale is on the IL (again) and Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Corey Kluber all have ERAs over 5.45. It's a miracle the Red Sox are a winning team.
New York Yankees
Outside of Gerrit Cole and Domingo German, the New York Yankees have been unable to find any consistency from their starting rotation — a major reason New York is currently only in a Wild Card spot. This needs to change if the Yanks want to end their World Series drought, and Zach Plesac is a low-risk option.
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