Cleveland Indians: Balancing the short-term and long-term

After getting swept by the Oakland A’s, the Cleveland Indians start the second half with more questions than answers. After hemorrhaging prospects last year in the Andrew Miller trade, will the Cleveland Indians go down the same path for Sonny Gray?

What a sham. The absolutely worst possible combination of things that could happen to start the second half were: 1) get swept by the Oakland As; 2) watch Kansas City and Minnesota sit two games or less back in the standings. Why is this the worst combination? Because it causes panic. And what does panic lead to? Trades. Crazy trades.

We JUST saw the Chicago Cubs throw a Hail Mary to the White Sox for Jose Quintana. He immediately struck out 12 batters in a huge 8-0 win. Are the Cubs back? Maybe. They still have a lot of work to do, though.

The difference between what the Indians did with Andrew Miller last year and what the Cubs just did with Quintana is simple: the playoffs. Quintana can only pitch once every three games in the playoffs. Miller pitches almost every night.

So, what crazy trade might the Tribe pull off? Mr. Sonny Gray, step on up. Gray just mowed down the Tribe in one of their inexplicable losses to the As (who foreshadowed a Gray trade by shipping the back of their bullpen to Washington earlier this week). Gray is exactly what the Tribe needs to bolster their rotation.

Trevor Bauer got smashed, again, and is another picture of inconsistency. He lasted less than an inning on Sunday, and he’s on everyone’s last nerve. Josh Tomlin is equally unpredictable. Thankfully, Danny Salazar had a promising start recently, and he will likely replace one of Bauer or Tomlin very soon.

The Cleveland Indians’ top three guys, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger, look set, but they could really use a dominant Salazar or someone of Gray’s caliber. The problem is the cost.

The Astros already realized that Gray might be too expensive, with a rumor that they are looking at Jeff Samardzija instead. Quintana brought the White Sox the Cubs’ top two prospects back. If Gray brings a similar return, he will cost Francisco Mejia and Triston McKenzie.

What’s the Tribe’s worst position on offense right now? Mejia’s position. Where do the Indians need the most help on the pitching side? McKenzie’s area. See the conundrum? Lose your top two prospects, who’ll be in the majors in 2018, for a guy who’s eligible for massive raises for the next two years in arbitration.

Sure, Gray is young and great, but is he worth the future? If the Tribe thinks that they are a Sonny Gray away from unseating the Astros in the playoffs and ultimately the Dodgers in the World Series, then maybe.

But are they? If Kluber, Carrasco, and one of the other guys holds up, do they even need Sonny Gray in the postseason? Similar to Quintana, the Cubs went all in hoping that Quintana gets them to the playoffs.

The Tribe, from a statistical perspective, have a very, very good chance of making the playoffs. They don’t NEED Gray to get to the playoffs. They might think they need Gray to get back to the World Series, but even that is a stretch. Postseason rotations generally sit at three guys, and the Tribe has three guys now.

The arms race does not need to be an arms race at all. I hope that the Tribe looks at Detroit, San Francisco, or some other team that has an expensive payroll and is already out of it for a cash dump instead of prospect purge with a guy like Sonny Gray.

Next: 5 players who must step up in the second half

Plus, as cash-strapped as the Cleveland Indians are, it’s hard to imagine giving up prospects for what would likely be a rental with Gray. When Meija comes up as the starting catcher in 2018, you’ll thank me for this mindset.