Cleveland Indians: Four blockbuster trades for Francisco Lindor

Indians deal Lindor to Miami for three top prospects

The Indians are going to be looking to get multiple high end prospects and the Miami Marlins are one of the few teams that can offer that while also having room for Francisco Lindor’s upcoming contract.

We’ll begin with the Marlins who miraculously made the playoffs in 2020. Miguel Rojas was the main shortstop for the team, but at 31-years old he isn’t the long-term answer at the position. Rojas is on a rather expensive deal for his play, but a club option in 2022 would allow the Marlins to opt out right when Lindor’s price tag jumps.

As for the return to Cleveland, they land three of the Marlins top eight prospects, while all three also saw experience in the majors during the 2020 season.

The main player in return would be Jazz Chisholm, a 22-year old shortstop with 21 games of major league experience. Currently the No. 4 prospect in the Miami system, Chisholm has been highly regarded through the minors. He doesn’t jump off the stat sheet in any one category, but is rather average in most of them. During his small sample size in 2020, he slashed .161/.242/.321 with two home runs, two stolen bases, a double and a triple.

The second player coming over would be No. 5 prospect, outfielder Jesus Sanchez. The Indians are in need of outfield help for the future and the Marlins have a plethora of prospects at the position. Sanchez appeared in just 10 games during 2020 and didn’t see much success, but his minor league stats show his potential. In the minors, he posted a career slash line of .296/.342/.459 with 50 home runs and 304 RBI over 464 career games.

The final prospect in the deal is No. 8 prospect Lewin Diaz, who could be the first contributor for the Indians. Should the Indians decline Carlos Santana‘s option and he leave in free agency, Diaz could provide his replacement. Like Chisholm and Sanchez, Diaz doesn’t have much of an MLB sample size, but his minor league resume is impressive with 63 home runs, 123 walks and 263 RBI over 458 minor league games.

Tribe lands Angels’ top prospect

The Indians should try to avoid moving Lindor within the American League, but if a team can offer a package that includes their top prospect, as well as three of their top eight, it will be hard to ignore.

The 2021 season will finally be the last on the enormous Albert Pujols deal, so that will clear up plenty of money for Los Angeles to shift over to Francisco Lindor beginning in 2022, pairing two of the game’s best players together in Lindor and Mike Trout.

As for the Indians, they land the Angels’ top prospect in Brandon Marsh, who should be MLB-ready in 2021. The Angels of plenty of outfielders, so moving Marsh is a possibility. At 22-years old, the 2016 second round pick could be an immediate producer for an Indians outfield that is starving for sustained production. Playing 96 games at the Double-A level in 2019, Marsh slashed a solid .300/.383/.428 with 21 doubles, 18 stolen bases and seven home runs.

The second part of the trade is an 18-year old shortstop in Kyren Paris. Currently the No. 5 prospect for Los Angeles, Paris was the Angels’ second round pick in 2019. He doesn’t have statistics to look at, but his potential is high.

The final piece is second baseman Jahmai Jones who would be the only one in this deal with MLB experience. Jones could slide into the vacancy left behind by Cesar Hernandez while allowing the Cleveland Indians to focus their minor league middle infielders on filling the shortstop void. In his brief MLB appearance, Jones had good fortune, going 3-for-7 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Phillies send Cleveland No. 2 prospect

The Phillies don’t have much left in their minor league system, which is why they add a fourth player opposed to the three in the first two deals. Philadelphia tried Didi Gregorious on a one-year deal, but with him out of the picture in 2021, bringing in Lindor to pair with Bryce Harper could be the ideal move.

In order for Philadelphia to land Lindor, they will have to part ways with No. 2 prospect, Bryson Scott. The team’s first round pick in the 2019 draft, Scott is highly regarded across the league, but might take a year or two before being MLB-ready.

The second player is the Phillies’ No. 7 prospect, Rafael Marchan who is a 21-year old switch-hitting catcher. The Indians aren’t in dire need of a catcher at the moment, but adding another catching prospect is always a plus. Marchan saw a bit of time in the majors this season, batting .500 over eight at-bats. With Roberto Perez having two years of options left and Austin Hedges two years of arbitration, this gives the Indians a bit of leverage.

Of the players coming to Cleveland, Mickey Moniak is probably the one that would contribute first. Over 18 games with the Phillies, Moniak slashed .214/.389/.214 with four walks. The stat line isn’t incredible, but he is the team’s No. 12 prospect and provides another outfield option.

The final player is Daniel Brito, the No. 29 prospect, but one that will be MLB-ready very soon. The Indians have a lot of middle infield talent in the minors and Brito would add to that. He would be the first called up to audition for the openings.

Indians receive MLB-experienced outfielder

After winning the World Series in 2019, the Washington Nationals completely missed the playoffs in 2020, which could push them to make a splash. Acquiring Lindor could push Trea Turner back to center field, which would allow the Nationals more flexibility to move Victor Robles to Cleveland.

In 2019, Robles showed his full potential, hitting 17 home runs and stealing 28 bases for the Nationals. He still has plenty of club control left for the Cleveland Indians and would hold down their center field position better than any internal options they have right now.

Of the other players in the deal, both Andry Lara and Roismar Quintana are a long way off from the majors. Both are 17-years old, but Lara is the Nationals’ No. 5 prospect and Quintana their No. 15.

The other player that would contribute in the near future is Drew Mendoza. Currently Washington’s No. 11 prospect, he would enter the mix to become the Indians next first baseman. While at Florida State, Mendoza belted 33 home runs over 170 games while maintaining a slash line of .300/.443/.540.

While the Nationals don’t offer the Cleveland Indians a top prospect like the other deals, both Robles and Mendoza would be in the majors in the near future and be productive while Lara and Quintana could blossom as well.