Four Reasons the Cleveland Indians Should Be Buyers At the Trade Deadline

Jun 29, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Cody Anderson (56) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The first reason? Cody Anderson

Cody Anderson has been impressive in his first two major league starts. If the young right-hander can continue to have that kind of success, he will stabilize the back end of the rotation and give the Cleveland Indians one of the most formidable sets of starters in all of major league baseball. Even without a solid fifth starter, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar managed to lead the league in strikeouts, giving the Tribe a very good chance to win on any given day.

Anderson still has a lot to prove, given that he has made just two major league starts. But in those two starts, he’s pitched 15.2 innings, allowing just one run on eight hits and a walk. When he faced the Tampa Bay Rays, he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. Anderson has been far better than anyone could have expected.

Despite struggling in 2014, Anderson came back strong in the first half of this season. In 10 games with Double-A Akron and three games with Triple-A Columbus, Anderson averaged a 1.89 ERA. He also won the Bob Feller Award in 2013, as well as being named Pitcher of the Year for the Carolina League. Anderson certainly has promise, and his addition to the Tribe rotation could be the answer they’ve been looking for.

Next: The Prospects Have Arrived