Cleveland Indians: Five prospects to pursue in trades this offseason

The Cleveland Indians could be deep into the trade market this offseason. Here are five prospects they should pursue in trade talks.

It is already widely expected that the Cleveland Indians will be active in the trade market this offseason as they try to shed more payroll. One of the more obvious trade pieces is Francisco Lindor and in return the Indians will be hoping to receive multiple high caliber prospects, but who could be on the Tribe’s radar?

Should the Indians decide to trade Lindor this offseason, who are players and positions they should target? Cleveland will be looking deep into farm systems across baseball, but there has to be a starting point or main draw to even begin negotiations with a team. There’s no sense in wasting time talking to a team that doesn’t have what you’re looking for in return.

For the trade to be worth it for Cleveland, they shouldn’t be looking at each individual team’s top prospects, but rather the entire league as a whole. Going through the Top 100 prospects in baseball, we can start to get a grasp for what teams have the assets to acquire Lindor, or any players on the Indians roster for that matter.

While Lindor is by far the most talked about player that could be moved this offseason, not only in Cleveland but in all of baseball, there are other players that the Indians could part with via trade. Should the Indians go all in on trading away expensive contracts to build for the future, then Cleveland could soon be introduced to multiple players on this list from a couple different teams.

For the Cleveland Indians to trade away Lindor and other parts while still having a successful offseason, they need to acquire at least one of the following players in return. Otherwise, the front office would have settled and the offseason would be a disappointment, having essentially given away one of the best players to come through the Tribe’s farm system.

Brandon Marsh, OF, Los Angeles Angels

There’s no question that the Indians need to invest in the outfield and a trade this offseason could go a long way in that progress. One of the top players that should be considered by Cleveland is outfielder Brandon Marsh who is a member of the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system.

Currently the No. 73 prospect in baseball, and the No. 1 prospect for the Angels, Marsh has yet to make his major league debut leaving plenty of team control left. Team control is key for teams like the Indians who rely on cheap contracts to stay competitive.

The Angels second round pick in 2016, Marsh has yet to play at the Triple-A level, having spent 96 games at Double-A during the 2019 season. Over those 96 games, he put together a balanced stat line that included a slash line of .300/.383/.428. On top of a strong slash line, Marsh ripped 21 doubles, two triples and seven home runs while tallying 43 RBI and swiping 18 stolen bases.

While Marsh can play all the outfield positions, he’s a center fielder by trade. Should the Indians acquire him this offseason, he could play in center this coming season and be the centerpiece of the outfield for years to come.

JJ Bleday, OF, Miami Marlins

Despite being the No. 24 prospect in baseball, JJ Bleday still isn’t the top prospect in the Miami Marlins system, showing that they might be one of the top contenders for Lindor. The No. 2 ranked prospect for Miami, Bleday is another outfielder that could change the landscape of the Indians’ outfield situation.

The fourth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Bleday was drafted out of Vanderbilt and only played 38 games in the minors after being drafted. Despite that, his projected debut is still set for the 2021 season, showing how ready he already is for the majors.

That comes in large part because of his success at Vanderbilt. Over three seasons there, Bleday knocked 33 home runs and registered 109 RBI while slashing .326/.449/.553. One difference with Bleday is that he is a natural right fielder.

Having not yet made his debut while also being 22-years old, Bleday also has tons of team control left, which makes him even more intriguing during the trade process. Given his stats and the future of his contract, he could be the prime target in a Lindor trade for the Cleveland Indians. especially since the Marlins can offer so much in addition to Bleday.

Dylan Carlson, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

The first player on this list to have already made his major league debut, Dylan Carlson is currently the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball and the top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals’ system. A first round pick in the 2016 draft, Carlson is another player that could fully transform the Cleveland Indians’ outfield.

During the 2020 season, Carlson saw action in 35 games for the Cardinals and didn’t quite meet expectations in his first trial run. He only slashed .200/.252/.364 with 16 RBI, three home runs and a stolen base. While those stats aren’t great, Carlson has performed better in the minors, which is why he could be a draw to the Indians.

Spending the 2019 season split between Double-A and Triple-A, Carlson looked much more like himself with a slash line of .292/.372/.542 with 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases. That line better illustrates Carlson’s ability to hit for average and power while also being able to steal bases.

Over his short blip in the majors, Carlson played all three outfield positions, spending the most time in center. If the Indians can manage to pry Carlson away from the Cardinals, he would provide a big boost the outfield.

Jesus Sanchez, OF, Miami Marlins

Not only do the Miami Marlins have multiple prospects that could draw the attention of the Cleveland Indians, but they have multiple outfielders as well. In addition to Bleday, the Indians could also look to target Jesus Sanchez, the No. 76 prospect in baseball and the Marlins’ No. 5 prospect.

With the Marlins sneaking into the playoffs this year, they could be looking to add the final piece to their team while the Indians will be looking for multiple prospects. All signs are pointing to Lindor to Miami being a strong possibility.

As for Sanchez, he isn’t as intriguing as Bleday, but isn’t too far off from his ability. Sanchez did play 10 games for Miami this year and saw little success, but his minor league statistics speak much better to his potential. Spending five seasons in the minors, Sanchez appeared in 464 games while maintaining a slash line of .296/.342/.459 with 50 home runs and 304 RBI.

If the Indians enter talks with the Marlins they will have to decide on if they want multiple top 10 prospects, or one top three prospect. That could be the difference between Bleday and Sanchez. While Bleday is the better of the pair, the Indians will get less in addition to him than they would with Sanchez.