Cleveland Indians: 3 Orioles trade targets to keep an eye on this series

Cleveland Indians: 3 Orioles trade targets to keep an eye on this series

After the series against the Chicago White Sox was cut short due to weather, the Cleveland Indians will now transition to a new series, getting on the road to face the Baltimore Orioles for the next three games. The three games in Baltimore will be followed by an off day to allow the Tribe to fly to St. Louis for a two-game stint against the Cardinals before another off day to get back to Cleveland.

With all the rain outs, the Cleveland Indians will have a total of four off days over the span of nine days, something nearly unheard of in baseball unless it’s the All-Star break (which is rapidly approaching, stay tuned for more on that in the near future). However, at the moment the Tribe are preparing for the Baltimore Orioles.

To this point in the season, the Orioles are the worst team in baseball. Baltimore will enter the series with just a 19-37 record for a .339 winning percentage while being the only team in the MLB with fewer than 20 wins. With a record like that, it can be heavily assumed that the Orioles will attempt to trade away any desirable assets at the trade deadline that won’t be part of their future plans. For the Tribe, that means we could be getting a look at some future members of the Cleveland Indians.

While Cleveland doesn’t have a lot that the front office will be willing to part with, Baltimore is in the right situation that the two teams could be likely trade partners at the deadline. The Orioles don’t have many names that will draw a ton of attention, but their contracts are friendly enough to interest a small market team like Cleveland.

With that being said, these three players should be paid close attention to during the series between Cleveland and Baltimore this weekend. In less than two months time, there’s a chance they could be moving across the diamond to the other dugout.

John Means

You might recall John Means from his no-hitter this season for Baltimore against the Seattle Mariners on May 5. Now, the left-handed starting pitcher and 2019 All-Star is on the trade rumors list as a potential player who could be departing the Orioles roster before the July 31 trade deadline. Given the need to fix the starting rotation for the Cleveland Indians, Means could be at the top of the trade targets list for the Tribe.

One big plus in trading for Means is also what could make him difficult to acquire. Despite being 28-years old, Means will be under contract through the 2024 season thanks to the arbitration process. For the 2021 season, he’s making less than $600,000 which is a bargain price for a pitcher that has an ERA of 2.05 and the best WHIP in the American League at 0.796.

The question for Baltimore will be if they think Means’ timeline will fit into theirs. If they think they will be competing within that four-year window and that Means will still be pitching at a high level they might not want to part with him. However, that could be a big gamble and trading him away for prospects that better fit into the club’s future might be the preferred route.

As for Cleveland, they will get an up-close view of Means on Saturday as he is set to pitch against the Tribe for Baltimore. He’s set to face Aaron Civale in what could be a matchup between two of the most underrated starting pitchers in the American League. If Means impresses, and maybe even if he doesn’t, he could find himself representing the Cleveland Indians by the season’s end.

Trey Mancini

A fan and clubhouse favorite in Baltimore, Trey Mancini would be hard to pry away from the Orioles. However, his contract and age don’t fit into the future plans of the team which could make him a target on the trade market over the next two months. After returning to the field following his battle with colon cancer, Mancini’s situation in Baltimore is similar to that of Carlos Carrasco in Cleveland over the last couple seasons.

From Cleveland’s perspective, Jake Bauers and Josh Naylor have been improving the stats produced from the first base position over the last few weeks, but adding an improved player like Mancini to the lineup could be a huge addition in terms of offensive production.

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Over 54 games with Baltimore this season, Mancini is slashing .284/.361/.512 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs and 44 RBI. Not only would that improve first base, but the whole team. He would instantly be second on the Tribe’s roster for doubles, tied for second in home runs and leading the team in RBI. Plus, Mancini’s been able to do that on the league’s worst team. Imagine what he could do when surrounded by guys like Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes and Eddie Rosario in the lineup.

The catch with Mancini is that he doesn’t have as much team control left as the more recent returns in trades for the Tribe. He has one more year of arbitration remaining in 2022 and is already making $4.75 million this year. For his stats, that’s a low price but it still might be too high for what the Tribe are willing to bring in.