Cleveland Indians: 3 possible Francisco Lindor trades to Toronto Blue Jays

Base deal for Francisco Lindor

We’ll start with a simple trade that doesn’t cost either team much beyond the two desired players by each club. While it could be argued that Francisco Lindor for Lourdes Gurriel might be close to fair straight up, it’s hard to imagine that the Cleveland Indians would agree to that. Instead, the Toronto Blue Jays have to add another player to sweeten the deal.

The additional player in this deal that comes to the Indians is middle infielder Otto Lopez who is currently on the 40-man roster for the Blue Jays. As it currently stands, Lopez would provide a depth utility infielder for Toronto. However, with the addition of Lindor they would have plenty of infield options, allowing them to move Lopez.

At 22-years old, Lopez is the Blue Jays’ No. 13 prospect and would have the potential to start at one of the middle infield positions during the 2021 season for Cleveland and be part of the long-term plan. He can also play in the outfield, which could be intriguing as the rising prospects become available behind him at second and short.

Lopez only has 217 games in the minors, but has been able to slash .310/.374/.421 while also stealing 41 bases. Now, he hasn’t played above Single-A, but nonetheless those numbers show some promise.

A bigger splash for the Cleveland Indians

This one is a bit further down the rabbit hole with the Cleveland Indians receiving Cavan Biggio in return. However, they also have to give up more by sending the Toronto Blue Jays Bradley Zimmer and Scott Moss in addition to Lindor, who would most likely need to agree to a long-term deal for it to work. While the Indians technically give up more in terms of players, they receive two young players with high potential in Gurriel and Biggio that could help them not miss a beat.

Zimmer has had plenty of chances in Cleveland and has dealt with plenty of adversity as well that has kept him from succeeding. In going to Toronto, he reunited with Shapiro, who drafted him for the Indians, and has a fresh start. With Gurriel gone, the Blue Jays could use an extra hand in the outfield and that’s Zimmer.

As for Moss, he’s a 26-year old left-handed pitcher that has been held back from the Indians’ pitching log jam. With so many young prospects, Moss has been lost in the mix despite being the club’s No. 24 prospect, but could have more value to Toronto.

For the Indians, they receive Cavan Biggio. Currently 25-years old, Biggio’s average as been a bit lower than anticipated in the majors with a career average of .240. However, he drew 71 walks during the 2019 season over 100 games while hitting 16 home runs and stealing 14 bases. While the average is low, the rest of the stat line makes up for it.

Biggio would fill the gap at second for the Indians, leaving only one hole in the middle infield rather than two. He also has third base and right field flexibility that could come in handy for the Tribe.

Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays blockbuster deal

This is the pie-in-the-sky deal for the Cleveland Indians, but it isn’t impossible. There’s a lot to like for both sides in this deal and might be more realistic than many people initially think, but also requires a long-term deal for Lindor in Toronto.

Bo Bichette has been impressive in his short tenure in the majors, playing just 75 games. While the sample size is small, the numbers still draw attention. In the majors, Bichette has slashed .307/.347/.549 while hitting 16 home runs and 27 doubles. His fielding could use a little work with a .964 fielding percentage, but that could improve with time.

Bichette is a step up from Biggio, so the Indians offer has to step up in return. That change is in the pitcher which now becomes Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco is another player that was brought to Cleveland by Shapiro, which could increase interest.

For the Indians, Carrasco is the veteran of the rotation at 33-years old and with plenty of rising prospects could become expendable. A fan favorite, it’s tough to see a player like Carrasco in a different uniform, but given what the Indians would receive in this deal, it might be worth it.

Zimmer also stays in the deal to make it more appealing to Toronto. For Shapiro, he would deal two younger players for three Indians that he’s more than familiar with and could help the Blue Jays get over the hump in the American League.