Cleveland Indians: Three teams that could trade for Carlos Carrasco

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have never been afraid to spend a little of money and given the state of their starting pitching, they might be willing to pay up and call the Cleveland Indians about Carlos Carrasco.

This past season the Cardinals were 28th in Major League Baseball for WAR when it came to starting pitching with only the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates totaling a worse figure. This might be a bit surprising given the name recognition of Jack Flaherty, Carlos Martinez and Miles Mikolas, but as a unit they struggled a bit.

Adding another veteran to the rotation could help stabilize the group as a whole. Despite the sometimes unreliable starting pitching, the Cardinals still finished with a 30-28 record, finishing second in the NL Central and making the playoffs.

With many of the pieces from last year returning, the Cardinals could be a prime candidate to explore the idea of adding a player like Carlos Carrasco. They might be just one or two players away from getting over the hump and a veteran like Carrasco can make that difference, especially at a position as important as a starting pitcher.

On the plus side for Cleveland, the Cardinals have plenty of prospects to offer in return that are intriguing and could contribute in the near future.

Atlanta Braves

Like the Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves were able to have success during the 2020 season despite a rocky performance from the starting pitching. Because of that, they could be another team to call the Cleveland Indians to explore a trade for Carlos Carrasco.

Despite having intriguing pitchers rise through the ranks in the past few seasons, the Braves had just two starters log an ERA below 5.00 during the 2020 season, being Ian Anderson at 1.95 and Max Fried at 2.25. Even with those struggles, the team still captured the NL East title with a 35-25 record and advanced to the NLCS.

Being so close to a potential World Series appearance, the Braves might be more willing than normal to find that missing piece for next season. A veteran like Carrasco could be that piece.

He’s been through the playoffs and in a World Series, but is still hungry for his first ring. He’s also been a stable force and persuading from former teammate and current Atlanta pitcher Josh Tomlin wouldn’t hurt.

As for the return in a potential trade, the Atlanta Braves have six outfielders on their Top 30 prospect list, including four in the top 13. Odds are, one of them would come to Cleveland in a deal.

Cincinnati Reds

This is the long shot of the bunch, but it’s not impossible. The pitching for the Cincinnati Reds was rather solid, including having the NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, however things change during the offseason. If the Reds can’t afford Bauer, but want to stay at a high level, then adding Carrasco could help that while saving a bit of money from what they would pay Bauer.

What is working against the Reds from being a serious trade partner is their stance this offseason. Cincinnati is a similar spot as Cleveland in terms of saving money, but they also didn’t try for many seasons to go for a title. Finishing the 2020 season at 31-29 with a second place finish in the NL Central and a playoff birth might not be enough to keep the momentum going.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that the Reds decide to try and compete on a budget. They will obviously need starting pitching help to replace Bauer. While $12 million isn’t exactly cheap, it’s better than some of the alternatives.

The Reds are one of the unknowns this offseason, so they could shock more than a few people with a trade for Carrasco, but it is far from impossible.