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.