Cleveland Indians: Five affordable players to target in trades

The Cleveland Indians will be cutting payroll once again this year, but here are five players they can still target on cheap contracts in trades.

It’s no secret that the Cleveland Indians are cutting their payroll in 2021, along with majority of the teams across the league. However, while saving money, the Indians’ front office remains committed to competing at a high level. To achieve this, they will have to get creative, probably more so than in the past.

This won’t be new territory for the club. Each offseason they are looking for bargain deals either on the free agent market or through trades and those cheap contracts will be emphasized in the coming year.

While some teams target top tier players, the Indians have become known for high potential players coming off down seasons that could blossom into a great value add. This past year we saw it accomplished a few different ways. Cesar Hernandez was brought in through free agency while Delino DeShields came in as part of the Corey Kluber trade.

For the Indians this year, they could lose multiple playmakers from the 2020 season that were influential in the team’s success through free agency. While the team has a strong amount of talent in the minor leagues, the loss of the 2020 minor league season could derail the process, resulting in a greater need for temporary help.

This is where the cheap trades come in. If the Indians can acquire a couple players on low-cost deals to bridge the gap for a year or two, that would be ideal. There isn’t a big need for long-term players in the gaps that will be left behind as the prospects in the minors will be able to takeover in the near future. However, if the team wants to stay competitive, these moves will be imperative.

These players are not only on cheap contracts, but also play for struggling teams that could be interested in prospects and wouldn’t need much in return to draw their interest.