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Cleveland Indians: Get to know the six players acquired from San Diego

By Aaron Gershon

SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 19: Josh Naylor #22 of the San Diego Padres plays during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Petco Park on August 19, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 19: Josh Naylor #22 of the San Diego Padres plays during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Petco Park on August 19, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 23: Gabriel Arias of San Diego Padres runs to first base in the 4th inning during a friendly game between San Diego Padres and Diablos Rojos at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium on March 23, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. The game is held as part of the opening celebrations of the Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium, now the newest in Mexico to play baseball. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 23: Gabriel Arias of San Diego Padres runs to first base in the 4th inning during a friendly game between San Diego Padres and Diablos Rojos at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium on March 23, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. The game is held as part of the opening celebrations of the Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium, now the newest in Mexico to play baseball. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) /

The highest-ranked prospect added by the Indians in the eight-player deal is shortstop Gabriel Arias.

Arias is a native of Venezuela who was ranked as the Padres seventh-best prospect by MLB Pipeline at the trade time.

The 20-year-old is now ranked as Cleveland’s fifth-best prospect in the updated MLB Pipeline Rankings and as the Indians’ second-best shortstop prospect only behind Tyler Freeman who ranks as Cleveland’s second-best prospect.

Arias has been stellar in three seasons of minor league action as he’s slashing .270/.319/.396 with 23 home runs and 147 RBI’s.

He played the entire 2019 season with San Diego’s High-A Affiliate in Lake Elsinore, California and slashed .302/.339/.470 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI’s in 120 games.

The 20-year-old still has a long way to go before reaching the majors as Pipeline projects his arrival to the majors will be in 2022, but if he pans out to live up to his potential, there’s a chance he could be Cleveland’s shortstop of the future with Francisco Lindor not expected to be with the team past 2021.

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