Cleveland Indians: 3 reasons why trading Edwin Encarnacion makes sense

The Indians have to make some tough decisions in the next few months.

If there is a directive that some top players must be traded, or even just one, that means a fan favorite may be heading elsewhere.

Right now it seems like the top options to be discussed in trade talks are Encarnacion, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. Jason Kipnis would ideally be in there too, but I’m still worried that another team won’t take on his contract and offer a fair return.

When it comes down to it, the starting pitching has been the top strength for this team for years. And that starts with Kluber and Carrasco.

The goal of a big trade would be to force a team to give the Indians a huge haul in return. Something that would help plug the holes on the roster as opposed to simply dumping salary. With the unknowns ahead in the bullpen, it still seems too early to begin trading the top pieces in the rotation.

However, trading Encarnacion opens up playing time for others and should bring players in return who may not have the power numbers, but who can combine to produce solid numbers from the DH slot in the lineup.