Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor trade opportunities to the NL Central

MIAMI, FLORIDA – AUGUST 27: Nick Senzel #15 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on August 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Indians and their cross state rival are no stranger to making big trades with one another. It wasn’t long ago that they agreed to move NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer from The Land to The Nati. The Reds have a small window left with Bauer, and a Bauer, Lindor reunion could be what they believe will make them a World Series contender.

For the Indians, they’d acquire two of the brightest young players on the Reds MLB roster in Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino. Senzel has raw speed and potential to be a plus player on defense at multiple positions. The key with him, is to get his bat up to MLB levels on a consistent basis. If this sounds like Delino DeShields Jr to you, it’s because it is. His versatility and contractual control makes him enticing in any trade.

Aquino is a bit more exciting if you are looking for instant impacts. Aquino played 56 games in 2019, and hit 18 home runs for the Reds. His OPS was .891 in those games, but in 2020 he became a platoon player and in the limited at-bats only had an OPS of .623, 2HRs in 23 games.

This is a big time haul for the Indians to land two experienced MLB level players, who still haven’t hit their ceiling. Would the Reds do this for a one-year run with Lindor? Possibly, they have already made moves for Bauer knowing they’d only have a little over two seasons of time with him. If the Reds believe their free agent moves have made Aquino and Senzel more tradable, then this makes a lot of sense.

Both players would be projects, and the Indians giving a lower ceiling prospect in addition to Lindor, like Jake Bauers makes this deal more realistic. Bauers offensive game, would play extremely well in Great American Ballpark, and he would lessen any depth concerns with trading away Senzel and Aquino.

I view the Reds as a likely trading partner given the previous relationship between the two teams. The challenge is, what will the Indians accept as a fair return, and what will the Reds give up for one year of Lindor?

Schedule