Cleveland Indians: 5 trade deadline packages to help starting rotation

Cleveland Indians add veteran Kyle Gibson

Of the pitchers that are going to be available at the deadline, Kyle Gibson might be the most desired for not only the Cleveland Indians but all teams looking for a pitcher. That could raise the price on him, but with that he’s doing this season it would be worth it.

We’ll start with Gibson. So far this season, he’s been able to maintain a 2.17 ERA over 14 starts. Despite playing for a team that is struggling, Gibson has yet to tally a loss this year with a 5-0 record. He’s also allowed just six home runs and walked only 25 batters over 83 innings. His strikeouts are a bit lower at 64, but that just means you have to have a strong defense behind him, which on most days the Tribe do.

For his contract, Gibson carries a $10 million mark for this season in total, but he has another year on his deal for next year which makes his value that much higher. In 2022, he would be under contract at $7 million, a fairly reasonable price for a 34-year old veteran starter.

As for the outgoing players, the outfield in Cleveland is starting to settle in which means Oscar Mercado could be the odd man out. He’s still in Triple-A Columbus and isn’t exactly hitting the cover off the ball.

In Texas, Mercado would have a new slate with potential to at least see time in the majors if not start, depending on other moves they could make. He also has four years of team control left, which makes him an intriguing target for a Rangers team with a foggy future.

The other prospect involved is Gabriel Rodriguez, the club’s No. 14 prospect. Playing in Low-A Lynchburg, Rodriguez has shown potential but has a strikeout problem. At just 19-years old, he has a lot of time to progress and can play both third and shortstop. He has an MLB ETA of 2024 at the moment, which could be perfect for Texas.