Cleveland Indians: Three teams that could trade for Carlos Carrasco

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.