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

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.