Cleveland Indians: Finding a trade fit for Jason Kipnis is not easy

If the Cleveland Indians really want to trade Jason Kipnis, they could have trouble finding a good trade partner for the former All-Star second baseman.

Jason Kipnis has been a staple of the Cleveland Indians for years. He’s been a fan-favorite since breaking in back in 2011 and despite some trying times has been one of the best players the club has had over the last few years.

However, an injury-riddled 2017 that saw his production drop has prompted many to speculate the Indians could move him this winter, and there have already been some reports that his name has come up with a few teams, including the New York Mets.

However, despite some teams showing interest, the Indians could have a very difficult time trading Kipnis, especially if they want any value in return.

The biggest problem is identifying what teams would even want Kipnis. That’s not to say Kipnis is bad and no one wants him but he’s 30 and making $13.5 million in 2018 with a total of $30.5 million guaranteed left on his deal through at least 2019 (has a 2020 option).

A healthy Kipnis is absolutely worth that and more but teams could be scared off after 2017. Rebuilding teams aren’t likely to want Kipnis given his age and contract and several contenders already have options for second base.

Once you identify the team that could target Kipnis (and there are a few), trying to find a reasonable return is arguably more tricky. The Indians’ goal for 2018 is to win the World Series. They can’t just dump a guy like Kipnis for prospects who can’t help. Even if they plan on flipping those prospects they would need to flip them for someone at least as good as Kipnis and that’s not easy to do.

That all said, here’s a look at a few teams that the Indians could maybe deal Kipnis to while looking at why they are or aren’t good fits.

The New York Mets

So far we’ve heard Jason Kipnis “linked” to at least two clubs in the news. The biggest, or at least the one that seems to have been talked about most, is the New York Mets. There have been some conflicting reports about how serious the talks were but Kipnis does have ties to new Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who was with the Indians as pitching coach.

The Mets currently look to employ former Indian Asdrubal Cabrera at second base but could use him as more a super utility guy if they landed Kipnis.

For the Mets, Kipnis does make sense, but I personally don’t see how the deal makes sense for the Indians. The Mets would likely have to move some prospects but none would be all that exciting for the Indians, at least in 2018 or 2019.

They do have some pitching they could maybe move though, so perhaps a deal involving Steven Matz would work? Matz has struggled with injuries but a gamble may be worth taking. That said, he has more years of control than Kipnis and Callaway could be looking to get his hands on all those Mets pitchers.

The Chicago Cubs

The other team that has been mentioned is the Chicago Cubs. This one really makes zero sense to me as the Cubs have Javier Baez, Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ to man second base. Zobrist is aging but owed a ton of money. He was bad like Kipnis in 2017 but I can’t see the Cubs making him a bench guy.

Zobrist can play the outfield as does Happ but the outfield isn’t exactly empty in Chicago either. If anything the Cubs should be looking to get rid of one or two of the players at 2B/OF, not adding one in Kipnis.

Sure, Kipnis is a Chicago guy and maybe the deal would involve a pitcher like Danny Salazar, but Kipnis to the Cubs doesn’t really make them that much better even if he rebounds to All-Star form. I would do a deal involving Kipnis and Cubs, especially if it meant Ian Happ or Kyle Schwarber were coming back to Cleveland but just can’t see the Cubs doing it even if Salazar was involved (but perhaps I’m very wrong).

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have had one of the biggest offseasons so far making a huge splash landing Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins. They’ve also signed CC Sabathia and have been linked to some of bigger pitchers on the trade market, in particular, Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In all these dealings though they have opened up some holes on their infield.

The Yankees have traded starting second baseman Starlin Castro to the  Marlins in the Stanton trade. They also traded away former starting third baseman Chase Headley to the San Diego Padres and their starting third baseman in the playoffs, Todd Frazier, is a free agent.

As things stand now, the Yankees starting second baseman may be Ronald Torreyes, who had a wRC+ of 81 and 82 the last two seasons while starting Miguel Andujar at third base. Andujar has eight plate appearances at the big league level though he is a well thought of prospect. However, he’s also been subject of trade rumors with the Pirates for Cole.

The Yankees want to stay under the luxury tax line so perhaps Kipnis’ salary will be a hindrance though the bigger issue would likely be the Indians not wanting to deal Kipnis to a team they may see again in the playoffs. The Yankees may also not want to block top prospect Gleyber Torres, though he could play third base if he’s ready while Kipnis is still around.

The San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants have had a very disappointing offseason to date. They lost out on Stanton to the Yankees and Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. They have been looking to add to a team that greatly disappointed in 2017.

They have moved some money around in order to add a bat (rumored to maybe be Jay Bruce) but their biggest hole may be on the infield where Pablo Sandoval may be the starting third baseman if the season started today.

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Yes, the same Pablo Sandoval that was cut by the Red Sox could actually start in San Francisco, that’s how big of a hole they have. Kipnis obviously doesn’t play third base but current Giant second baseman Joe Panik could move to third base, opening second base for Kipnis.

The problem here (besides money) is that the Giants would likely have to deal someone from the big league roster to entice the Indians and other than Brandon Belt I’m not sure they have what it takes.

There have been rumors of Belt being moved but it would take a lot more than Kipnis to get that done (maybe Salazar is used here as well?).

The Giants could also fill their infield hole by signing free agent Todd Frazier and leaving Panik at second base.

The Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are a bit of my wild card team in regards to Kipnis. They came out of nowhere last year to contend and gave the Cubs a real fight to the end in the National League Central. While they probably played a bit over their heads in 2017 they have a nice young team with some nice prospects coming up who could help them compete again in 2018. Adding a guy like Kipnis could help that.

Currently, the Brewers have Jonathan Villar at second base who was great in 2016 posting a 3.1 fWAR and stealing 62 bases. However, in his other four big league seasons (including 2017) he has posted a -0.7 fWAR combined. He’s probably more a utility player than an everyday starter (he has played five different positions over the past three seasons).

The Brewers have been said to be looking to add pitching as well and are maybe open to dealing an outfielder, perhaps Domingo Santana. The Brewers wouldn’t do a straight up deal with Kipnis but maybe the Indians and Brewers could work something out to help both clubs. Maybe even a guy like Ryan Braun could be on the table if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause.

The Toronto Blue Jays

One of only two American League clubs I could even think of in regards to a Kipnis trade, the Toronto Blue Jays are a long shot and mostly make this list due to the Cleveland ties in the Jays’ front office. Perhaps Mark Shapiro and company would be interested in a Jason Kipnis reunion?

That said, finding a spot for Kipnis is a bit tricky. He could replace Devon Travis who struggled in 2017 although he has shown an ability to provide value without a big bat. Maybe the Indians could convince the Blue Jays that two or three years of Kipnis plus a prospect or two is worth one year of Josh Donaldson? Even if the Jays were on board with that, would be risky for the Indians since Donaldson will be a free agent.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team a bit like the Cubs who don’t make a ton of sense for Kipnis to me, though with some moving parts it could work. They currently have Logan Forsythe at second base who is a bit like Kipnis in that he can produce a high on-base without a ton of power.

The Dodgers would have to have soured on him at second base to even consider Kipnis and I’m not really sure why they would have. Yes, Kipnis is better when healthy but enough to facilitate a trade? I don’t know.

The Dodgers do have the money to make a move so I won’t rule them out. Kipnis does have two more years of team control than Forsythe as well so maybe the Dodgers would be interested in that.

As one can see, there really aren’t any good options for trading Jason Kipnis. Maybe I missed someone but most other teams have good options on their infield or are rebuilding and won’t want a guy like Kipnis. This is why I am pretty firmly on the “don’t trade Kipnis” train. It made little sense before Carlos Santana left but makes almost no sense now.

Next: A farewell to Carlos Santana

What do you think, is there a trade out their for Jason Kipnis that makes sense for the Cleveland Indians and another team? Did I miss someone obvious? Should the Indians keep Kipnis? Let us know in the comments below.