Cleveland Indians: 5 players to target at the trade deadline

The Cleveland Indians are on a roller coaster. After winning seven of eight, the Twins just went in and swept Cleveland. After pulling away, the Tribe is back in a fight with the Twins for first place. Time to target some players for trades.

The Cleveland Indians could use some help in a few areas. Let’s discuss the top five targets for the July trade deadline.

The Indian’s specific areas of need are: 1) starting pitcher, 2) catcher, 3) long-relief pitcher, 4) utility outfielder, and 5) first baseman. The Tribe has long-term players in place in each of these positions, but there is an opportunity to both improve this season and for the future with some good moves.

The Cleveland Indians have about two reliable starting pitchers now, maybe three. Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber are solid, but beyond those two guys, it is tough to have confidence in anyone else in the rotation.

Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin have a few good starts under their belts, but they are unreliable. Mike Clevinger has been a pleasant surprise, but will the Tribe count on him down the stretch? Finally, Danny Salazar remains a question mark while he makes his way back from injury.

So, the Tribe has a few options, depending on how much the team wants to spend. Knowing that the Indians are not going to spend money on someone like Zack Greinke, I’ll present a few realistic options.

Option #1: Jason Vargas, LHP, Kansas City Royals. Vargas is a left-handed Josh Tomlin who is rolling this year. He would be a good addition.

Option #2: Ervin Santana, RHP, Minnesota Twins. Santana likely would not be available unless the Twins fell out of contention, but if he is, the Tribe would love to have him.

Option #3: Jose Quintana, LHP, Chicago White Sox. Quintana is having a down season, but he would be an ideal lefty to go with the Tribe’s string of righties.

Option #4 and #5: Gerrit Cole and Sonny Gray. While not expensive like Greinke, these two are expensive in the number of prospects that they would have to give up. The Tribe would not go after either of these guys unless pitching got worse before the deadline.

Right now, this could be Danny Salazar, Zach McAllister, or Mike Clevinger. But with Salazar and Clevinger hoping to be in the rotation, neither one of those guys should be an option. McAllister is too much of a question mark about quality, so it makes sense to look at the market.

With the Tribe’s starters in question, it makes sense to have a strong middle relief pitcher waiting. McAllister tops out at two innings, and if Clevinger is stretched out as a starter now, putting him back in the pen makes no sense. If the Tribe keeps Salazar in the bullpen, he’s the only long-inning option that makes sense. But we all want Salazar to get back into the rotation.

So, the obvious option is to go after Francisco Rodriguez, who is definitely not a long-relief pitcher. But, he has amazed in the past. Jeanmar Gomez is another option who, if Terry Francona chooses, could be a solid option in middle relief. Gomez is a one-time Tribe pitcher.

A high-cost option would be Raisel Iglesias of the Cincinnati Reds, and he could be a long-term start option for the Tribe. Iglesias is the most interesting option here, but he would cost high-end prospects.

If the Tribe sees Iglesias as a long-term middle rotation starter, then he might be worth the cost. The Cleveland Indians could groom Iglesias for a long-term plan starting this season.

The Indians’ outfield has been a pain point for much of the season. Michael Brantley is back, then he is not. Lonnie Chisenhall is strong in the outfield, but Terry does not want him starting in center.

Bradley Zimmer comes up and shines, and he is not getting a real shot in center field. Brandon Guyer and Abraham Almonte disappoint with injuries, and they should be back soon. Austin Jackson has pleasantly surprised, but he has been a disaster defensively. The Tribe keeps shuffling its outfield, and its fans and this writer are frustrated. Let’s get a solid starting situation and a platoon in right field and call it a day.

Who are the options? Michael Saunders is a choice, the Phillies recently released him. He could play first base or right field. The Mets want to sell; Jay Bruce is on the block. The Tribe could use someone like Jay Bruce, specifically, who can hit and run, in right field. He’s on a reasonable contract, and he could slot in nicely in the sixth or seventh hole.

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The Indians missed out on Bruce last year, and they made it all the way to the World Series. Bruce’s arrival would put a fire under the butts of a lot of Tribe players. The Indians could bring him in and see who wins the position battles. Right now, Lonnie “won” right field, and no one has won center field. If Bruce steps in, we could see a shift in play, pushing the Indians’ starting nine to the brink of greatness.

Carlos Santana might be playing his way out of Cleveland. While he still walks, his power is down. He cannot get his average above .250. He is not playing great defense. The Indians might not have a choice but to make a hard choice on Santana sooner than later.

Carlos is 31, and he makes $12 million this year. He’s pretty expensive for what he is producing, and he is on the last year of his contract. There is a really good chance that this is Santana’s last year with the Tribe. He made a great run, but his first-base play and waning power is concerning for someone about to enter an age-32 season. Santana will command more than $12 million per year this offseason, and the Tribe is not a team that will pay him that.

Thankfully, there are always first basemen available on the trade market. The Indians could target Yonder Alonso of the Oakland Athletics, though he would be very expensive. The Indians could move from within, and put Lonnie at first base with all the outfield help coming back.

Finally, the most realistic option, is Lucas Duda, another New York Met. Duda is not a long-term replacement, but he has a bit more power and plays a little better first base. Duda is on an expiring contract, so if the Tribe thinks that he is more capable than Santana now, he might be worth a simple trade.

Conclusion

The Cleveland Indians need help, and they do not at the same time. I am hoping that this article becomes irrelevant by July 31, and the Tribe does not need to make any significant moves to increase their chance of winning the AL Central.

Next: Indians draft recap

Realistically, the Tribe will search for a starting pitcher, regardless, though the rest of the positions have promise. Here’s to hoping the Indians make a strong move!