Cleveland Indians: 3 trade deadline catchers within Tribe’s price range

Jacob Stallings, Pittsburgh Pirates

One of the most talked about catchers that could be on the move in the coming month is Jacob Stallings from Pittsburgh. The barrier for Cleveland is that what makes Stallings such an attractive trade target could also create a bidding war for the 31-year old backstop.

Despite being 31-years old, Stallings still has plenty of team control left. He’s only making $1.3 million this year and will be in the arbitration process through the 2024 season. For comparison, Austin Hedges is making $3.28 million this year and only has one year of arbitration left, not to mention far worse stats.

Since catcher is a defensively heavy position, we’ll start there. Stallings has a career .992 fielding percentage and has had three errors this season. That’s about par for the course after having four in 2020 and five in 2019. That would be a bit of a downgrade, but it might be worth it for an offensive upgrade.

At the plate, Stallings doesn’t blow anyone away, but he would be a step up from what Cleveland has had so far this year. He’s slashing .230/.318/.399 with 13 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 29 RBI. Now, RBI are hard to come by on a struggling team like Pittsburgh, but the doubles are very promising.

By himself, Stallings has as many or more doubles than all but six teams in Major League Baseball have receiving from their catchers in total. Placing him in a lineup like Cleveland’s, where other guys will get on base ahead of him, and those doubles will soon translate to RBI. The issue could be the price.

Stallings is going to be the premier target among catcher-needy teams, but his team control means giving up a bit more leaves more time for that value to be returned.

Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs

To get a player like Willson Contreras, the front office of the Cleveland Indians might have to stretch the bank a little. However, if there’s a player that is worth doing that for, it might be Willson Contreras. His 2021 campaign is a bit down from his career stats, but the potential for second half surge is absolutely there.

The barrier that the team will need to get over is his contract. Contreras is making $6.65 million this year and will have just one year of arbitration left. If Contreras was in Cleveland, his contract would be the third most expensive behind only Jose Ramirez and Eddie Rosario.

As for on the field, Contreras has fallen a bit short of expectations which could go push the Cubs to move him while also lowering his price tag on the trade market. His fielding percentage is a career mark of .989, including two errors this season.

At the plate, though, Contreras is having his worst season to date. He’s slashing just .226/.322/.406 with five doubles. Now, he does have 11 home runs, tied for fourth among catchers in all of baseball.

So if the Tribe need an offensive catcher, why trade for someone who is struggling? Well, Contreras has proven he can be productive with a bat in his hand and the power is intriguing. His average should bounce back in time and now might be the chance to buy-low. The only problem is his contract would make for a very expensive backup or even a platoon.

Kurt Suzuki, Los Angeles Angels

In terms of affordable upgrades at the catcher position, Kurt Suzuki might be one of the easier names to acquire. At 37-years old, Suzuki isn’t a long-term investment by any means, but he could be a temporary step-up in depth down the stretch this season.

Playing right on the line of .500 is still remains to be seen if the Los Angeles Angels will even Suzuki make available. However, his $1.5 million contract that expires at the end of the season seems like something that the Cleveland Indians would be interested in.

Behind the plate, this year has actually been a down year for Suzuki. While he’s been a career .994 catcher, this year he already has six errors, putting his fielding percentage at .982. However, when standing at the plate he would still provide an upgrade in Cleveland.

This year, Suzuki is slashing .238/.319/.333 with only four doubles and two home runs. It wouldn’t be a huge upgrade, but enough to at least consider a move.

Given Suzuki’s age and contract it wouldn’t take a high prospect to acquire him while also not breaking the bank. If anything, he could be competition for Hedges in the depth role and be the organization’s third catcher should another injury happen down the road.