Cleveland Indians: Five affordable players to target in trades

Wilmer Flores – San Francisco Giants

Having bounced around the league the last few years, Wilmer Flores could be an easy target for the Cleveland Indians to explore. Flores began his career with the New York Mets and moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks after six seasons with the Mets. He spent just one year in Arizona before making the move to San Francisco for the 2020 season.

At 29-years old, Flores is in the first year of a two-year deal with the Giants that includes an option for a third season. During the 2021 season he is set to make $3 million and then his option for 2022 is a club option for $3.5 million.

To provide context, Cesar Hernandez was brought to Cleveland on a $6.25 million salary, so Flores would save the team a few million. The key would be getting him for the right price and not costing the Indians a high prospect.

During the 2020 season, Flores played first, second and third for the Giants, but has more commonly been a second basemen during his career. At the plate, his numbers regressed from 2019, slashing .268/.315/.515. While his slash line wasn’t as great, he did hit 12 home runs, three more than in 2019 while playing more than 30 less games.

The Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in the National League, but they have other options to turn to for infield depth. If they can get something in return for Flores of value, then parting with him shouldn’t be an issue from their standpoint.