Cleveland Indians: 3 potential trades before the deadline

If the Cleveland Indians want to go deep into October they will have to make a move or two in order to bolster the team.

The Cleveland Indians have plenty to be positive about so far this season. They are in a division that doesn’t look like it’s going to provide much resistance getting to the playoffs. They have an offense that, going into play on July 12, has scored the fourth-most runs in baseball.

That same offense is third in home runs and seventh in team batting average, so when it comes to the trade market, offense isn’t a super high priority. Sure, finding an outfielder that can consistently produce and stay healthy would be great, but the players they have now are doing an admirable job.

The Indians starting pitching has been one of MLB’s best this season. They are fourth overall in ERA at 3.40 and have the second-most innings from their starters with 574.1. The starting staff has done more than its fair share.

Now for the negative, the Indians bullpen has been inconsistent (to put it nicely) and the outfield can’t seem to stay healthy. Going into play on July 12 the Indians bullpen has the worst ERA in baseball at 5.39 while pitching the least innings of any bullpen. The next closest team, Houston, has 19 more innings. The Achilles heel of the pen so far this season has been the long ball, as they have already surrendered 47 home runs, which is fourth worst in baseball.

The outfield has had a hard time staying on the field this season. If before the season I told you Michael Brantley would be the only everyday outfielder to not find the DL, there would be a lot of people calling me a crazy. Having depth in the outfield looks like it will be key to the Indians run.

No matter what happens leading up to the trade deadline I would be shocked if the Indians don’t make at least one move to shore up the bullpen. I personally, think the Indians will be fairly active at the deadline. They understand the opportunity in front of them and I expect them to take advantage of it.

Below are three trades I believe the Indians should look into that could help fill a few holes.