Cleveland Indians: 5 trade deadline packages to help starting rotation

5 trade packages to help Cleveland Indians starting rotation

With less than a week left in June we’re just about a month away from the 2021 MLB trade deadline on July 30. While it was previously believed that the Cleveland Indians might try to get through the deadline without a deal to save money and assets, recent injuries to the team’s starting rotation could force their hand.

Even before the injuries took down three of the Tribe’s five starting pitchers from Opening Day, the other two were sent down to the minors following rough starts to the season. With no remaining starters on the roster from April 1 at the moment, the front office might need to strike a deal as soon as possible to bring in more arm talent for the starting rotation.

The team has made the effort to fill the voids with prospects, but the difficult schedule that July brings could be too much for the young group. Eventually, the Tribe’s 2016 MLB Draft class trio of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac will all be back, but even then the team will still be two starters shy of a full rotation.

Perhaps two of the prospects emerge as potential answers. A few have shown flashes, but consistency has lacked across the board. For a team that is in playoff contention, and keep in mind that despite the injuries the Cleveland Indians are, that won’t cut it down the stretch. If the Tribe are serious about playing into October, then more proven starting pitching has to be added.

The team doesn’t necessarily have to add two arms. Most times a starting rotation is cut down to four late in the season, so adding just one pitcher could suffice and leavie the other spot up for grabs amongst the prospects for the time being.

Finding an expiring contract that could be a bit easier to acquire shouldn’t be difficult. The question will be if the Tribe are willing to pay the price, both in terms of the trade and taking on the contract.

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.

Cleveland Indians get lefty Tyler Anderson

After starting the season rather well, Tyler Anderson has struggled a bit lately which has actually dropped his price in a trade. However, given the huge need of a starting pitcher, Anderson could fall right into the range the Cleveland Indians are looking to pay.

Making just $2.5 million in total this season and being a free agent this upcoming offseason, Anderson’s price against the books might be the best on the market. For the same reason, it shouldn’t cost a ton to acquire him.

As we said, Anderson has had an up-and-down season. His last win came back on May 9, but that’s not entirely his fault. He has also allowed at least one run in each appearance, but has still managed to keep his ERA at 4.82. That’s not great, but it’s serviceable enough to make Cleveland’s rotation.

For what it would take, the Pirates only have one catcher on their Top 30 prospect list and he’s not a true catcher, having the ability to play outfield as well. Bryan Lavastida is the second catcher on the Tribe’s list and would give Pittsburgh another option. He’s not a big name prospect, but bolsters the Pirates’ farm system at the position, which is all they should expect in return for Anderson.

Cleveland Indians add Andrew Heaney

Of the trades we’ve talked about thus far, this one might make the most sense for both sides. For the Los Angeles Angels, all the catchers on their 40-man roster are 30-years old or older and they don’t have a catcher on their Top 30 prospect list.

As for the Cleveland Indians, they’ve consistently kept a left-handed starting pitcher in the rotation this season for the first time in a long time. With Andrew Heaney being on a one-year deal worth less than $7 million for the full season, it could be a perfect fit.

This year Heaney has really had the definition of an up-and-down season. He’s had two scoreless starts this year, but has also allowed five runs or more on three different occasions as well. However, he’s also struck out 10 batters three times, including seven or more strikeouts in three of his last four starts.

Being 30-years old, there’s still a decent amount of potential for Heaney as well. His best season was back in 2015, so there’s a chance of him re-signing on a cheap deal if he were to be dealt at the deadline. If all it would take is a catcher, which the Tribe have two of on their Top 30 list, then it’s definitely something to explore.

Cleveland Indians land division deal for Danny Duffy

The Kansas City Royals are one of the most unpredictable teams this season, so what they end up doing at the deadline is still a mystery. Should they become sellers, Danny Duffy might become the hottest name on the trade market.

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A homegrown player, Duffy might be hard to pry away from Kansas City. However, being in the last year of his deal, he could always return to the Royals in the offseason should a trade be agreed upon.

At the moment, Duffy is registering a 1.85 ERA over eight starts, striking out 52 batters over 43.2 innings. Duffy has allowed more than one run just twice this season while also having four scoreless starts under his belt.

Those numbers, though, won’t come cheap. Looking into the future, the Royals could use an upgrade at both third and second in their prospect outlook. For that reason, the Tribe send them the club’s No. 8 prospect in Aaron Bracho as well as Yu Chang who might need a change of scenery after struggles at the plate in Cleveland.

While the price contains a current MLB player and a top 10 prospect, Duffy would be well worth the price with the season he’s putting together. He would immediately improve the rotation and give the team a solid No. 4 starter once the main trio return.