Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor trade packages from the AL East

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 24: Vidal Brujan #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits the ball during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Charlotte Sports Park on February 24, 2020 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Rays Get

SS, Francisco Lindor

Indians Get

2B/SS, Vidal Brujan

LHP, Shane McClanahan

OF, Niko Hulsizer

Could the Rays trade some of their farm system pieces for one-year of Lindor?

The Tampa Bay Rays were two wins away from winning the World Series in 2020 and could just be one piece away from finishing the job in 2021.

While their market won’t allow them to make a long-term investment in Lindor, they could look to land him as a one-year rental given the fact they have baseball’s best farm system.

The three names for the Indians to target in a trade with Tampa Bay would be Vidal Brujan, Shane McClanahan and Niko Hulsizer.

Brujan is an infielder who is the Rays third-ranked prospect. The 22-year old is a .294 career hitter in the minors and could be major league ready as soon as next season, giving the Indians immediate insurance in the infield and at the plate.

McClanahan is Tampa’s sixth-ranked prospect and wound up a member of the Rays playoff roster despite not appearing in any career regular season games prior to the promotion. He pitched in four games for Tampa in the playoffs, including tossing a scoreless inning in Game 3 of the World Series against the World Champion Dodgers.

Finally, Hulsizer is the Rays 27th ranked prospect who, despite being drafted in the later rounds of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Dodgers, has shown signs of being a potential an everyday outfielder in the pros.