Cleveland Indians: Three perfectly timed trades by the front office

Three perfectly timed trades by the Cleveland Indians front office

Over the last few seasons the Cleveland Indians have made their fair share of trades and more than one could be labeled as a blockbuster deal. Just from Opening Day in 2019, the Tribe have traded away four of the five pitchers from the starting rotation and could make the argument of a fifth if you count moving Adam Plutko just before the start of the 2021 season.

While there has been so much turnover in the starting rotation, the front office of the Cleveland Indians have walked away with the better end of the deal more times than not. Whether it be some secret formula for projecting pitcher injuries or just knowing when guys are reaching the end of their rope, the Tribe have managed to move these players at just the right time. The return price is still rather high, the player is replaceable and the other team usually ends up looking like they got fleeced a year down the road, if it even takes that long.

The one that doesn’t look as great on paper is moving Trevor Bauer, but he wasn’t coming back anyway. Since the Tribe traded him he’s pitched for two different teams and the other two teams in the deal have little to show from it while Cleveland still has Franmil Reyes and Logan Allen. Not as fleeced as the other three deals we’ll talk about, but also not bad at all.

At the time of these trades we were maybe left scratching our heads and trying to find the reason for the deal. In retrospect, the front office knew the perfect time to get these deals done to optimize return, be ready to replace the player and walk away with an incredible haul that left the other teams searching for answers within just a few short months.