Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor trade packages from the NL West

If the Cleveland Indians decide to ship four-time shortstop Francisco Lindor to the NL West, here’s what they could land in return.

Every passing day is one closer to the Cleveland Indians, inevitably trading away star shortstop Francisco Lindor.

The four-time All-Star will hit the free-agent market after the 2021 season and Indians owner Paul Dolan has made it clear the team cannot afford to give Lindor the long-term deal likely north of $300 million that he will likely desire.

Instead of letting him the open market, the Indians will look to cash in and earn compensation in the form of young MLB ready talent or prospects via trade this offseason.

Many teams are said to be interested in acquiring Lindor this offseason and a few clubs from the NL West are among them. The Los Angeles Dodgers, like with every star player, have shown interest in a potential trade for Lindor, while the San Diego Padres who the Indians have a long trade history with have also generated some buzz.

While the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants are long shots to make a move for Lindor, they’ve all been known to make bold moves.

Here’s a look at potential Lindor trade packages the Indians could potentially land if they were to move the shortstop to an NL West club.

After winning the NL Wild Card Game in 2017 the Diamondbacks have had lofty expectations to get back to the postseason but have not yet been able to do so. Now, Arizona likely faces another rebuild but if they were to shock the world and trade for Francisco Lindor the Indians could bring home a talented package.

A Lindor trade between Arizona and Cleveland would have to include Daulton Varsho. Varsho was the Diamondbacks top prospect before making his major league debut in 2020. The versatile catcher and outfielder struggled in his debut season as in 37 games, he slashed .188/.287/.366 with three home runs and nine RBI’s. Still, his ceiling is high and his best baseball is in front of him.

In addition to Varsho, right-handed pitching prospect Levi Kelly and outfield prospect Dominic Fletcher could be names the Indians target.

Kelly is Arizona’s ninth-ranked prospect and has quickly soared through the Diamondbacks minor league ranks. The former eighth round pick made 22 starts in High-A ball in 2019, posting a 2.15 ERA, 5-1 record and struck out 126 batters in 100 innings of work.

Fletcher is the Diamondbacks 23rd ranked prospect whom they drafted with the 75th overall pick of the 2019 Draft out of College Baseball powerhouse the University of Arkansas. In his first minor league action last season, he slashed an impressive .318/.398/.463 with five home runs and 28 RBI’s.

This package would give the Tribe a versatile player that can help right away either behind the plate or in the outfield, a promising young arm and an outfielder that is on a fast track to the majors.

After back-to-back NL Wild Card berths, including a road victory over the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 NL Wild Card Game, the Colorado Rockies have taken a step back as an organization.

The team won just 71 games in 2019 and in 2020 got off to an 11-3 start but slumped through their final 46 games as they finished the year 26-34 and outside of the playoff picture.

While they’re an unlikely trade candidate for Lindor, a trade with Colorado would help land the Indians what they’re looking for in a package for their star shortstop.

A potential Colorado trade package would likely have to start with outfielder David Dahl. The 26-year old outfielder is a career .286 hitter and was named an All-Star in 2019 in a year that saw him hit .302 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI’s.

The deal could also include prospects Ryan Vilade and right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner.

Vilade was drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2017 draft and is a career .291 hitter in the minors, including a 2019 season that saw him hit .303 with 12 home runs in 128 games at High-A. The 21-year old plays third base and the outfield, which would help a Cleveland team looking for both outfield help and could use depth at the corner infield spots.

Feltner is Colorado’s 22nd ranked prospect who they drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft. He posted a 0.88 ERA in nine rookie ball starts in 2018 and in 2019 had an up and down-year in Low-A but still flashed potential with his fastball earning high grades from MLB Pipeline.

This deal gives the Indians instant outfield help, a future versatile bat and a promising pitching prospect who would get the chance to develop in Cleveland’s farm system that is known for grooming pitchers.

Perhaps the NL West team that has shown the most interest in Lindor is the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

While their current shortstop Corey Seager won World Series MVP honors, the Dodgers are always looking to add star power and with Justin Turner likely to leave in free agency, the team could look to move either Seager or Lindor to third base to make room for both.

A trade package from the Dodgers would most definitely need to include shortstop Gavin Lux who was LA’s top ranked prospect before appearing in the majors in both 2019 and 2020.

Outside of Lux, outfield prospect DJ Peters and right-handed pitching prospect Gerardo Carrillo would also make sense for the Tribe.

Peters is a 24-year old outfielder who is the Dodgers’ 11th ranked prospect. In parts of four minor league seasons, Peters has posted an impressive .269/.363/.503 slash line in his minor league career with 92 home runs and 271 RBI’s. With must-see pop, and experience at all minor league levels, he would likely be able to join the Indians major league outfield immediately.

Finally, Carrillo is LA’s 16th ranked prospect who has complied a 3.57 ERA over the course of three MiLB seasons.

This package would give the Indians their Lindor replacement, a much-needed starter and power bat in the outfield and a right-handed arm with potential to blossom in Cleveland’s pitching-rich minor league system.

The San Francisco Giants have never been afraid to make bold moves, but given the current state of their franchise, they’re very unlikely to pursue a trade for Lindor.

San Francisco won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, but after an NL Wild Card Game victory in 2016, were knocked out of the playoffs in the NLDS by the eventual world champion Chicago Cubs and have not returned to the postseason since and now are in the midst of a rebuild.
If they were to scrap their rebuild plans and trade for Lindor, they’d have to ship away some big-name prospects from a system that ranks among baseball’s worst.

Hunter Bishop is a name that the Indians would likely target first. Bishop is San Francisco’s fourth-ranked prospect who they drafted in the first round and 10th overall of the 2019 Draft. Bishop is a 22-year old who was a star at College Baseball powerhouse Arizona State and with tremendous pop is likely to reach the majors no later than 2022.

Next, the Indians would likely target middle infielder Will Wilson. Wilson is San Francisco’s 11th ranked prospect and was drafted in the first round of the 2019 Draft by the Los Angeles Angels before being traded to the Giants last December.

The former NC State star hit .275 in rookie ball in 2019 and is another prospect on a fast track to the majors that could help Cleveland by 2022.

Finally, Cleveland could finish the package with right-handed pitching prospect Tristan Beck. Beck is the Giants’ 19th ranked prospect who was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft by the Atlanta Braves. In parts of two minor league systems, he has posted a 3.77 ERA pitching and reached High-A ball at the end of the 2019 season.

This package would be one of risk for the Indians but with huge upside, especially with Bishop, who has star potential in the outfield.