Cleveland Indians: 3 players on MLBTR top 40 trade list to target

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #1

Moving down the list by MLB Trade Rumors, the first name that seems like a fit for the Cleveland Indians is outfielder Mitch Haniger. The outfield in Cleveland has had a quantity of players for a few years, but quality has been lacking. The addition of Eddie Rosario has been a bit underwhelming so far this year, but Harold Ramirez and Jordan Luplow have looked much improved. However, there can easily be room made for Haniger.

The big plus for Haniger is that he’s still in the arbitration process of his career. This year his salary is just $3.01 million, a number that is far lower than what he brings to a team. He also has one more year of team control next year, making him more than just a rental.

While that’s a plus for the Cleveland Indians, it’s also going to make acquiring Haniger for a decent price much more difficult. Haniger is currently slashing .262/.310/.524 with 14 home runs, tied for eighth in all of Major League Baseball. He’s also been able to tally 15 doubles and 37 RBI.

Haniger’s production and contract fit perfectly into what the Cleveland Indians will be looking for at the deadline. The issue will be the price of the deal. Haniger is most likely going to be one of the more desirable targets and with the Seattle Mariners still at 29-31 there’s still a chance they don’t want to sell at the deadline. However, if there’s a player to maybe overspend for a bit, it might be Haniger.