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 make division deal for Kenta Maeda

Entering the season, the Minnesota Twins were expected to be among the top teams in the AL Central. Instead, they sit at the bottom of the division and near the bottom of the entire majors. With a slew of one-year deals on the roster, the Twins could very easily be one of the most active sellers at the trade deadline.

Oddly enough, the player that fits for the Cleveland Indians isn’t on a one-year deal. Kenta Maeda is still under contract for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which raises his price a bit on the trade market. Throw in the fact that his contract doesn’t go beyond $3.2 million a year and he could be a rather difficult player to acquire, especially from a division rival.

However, at 33-years old, Maeda doesn’t project to be part of the Twins’ future plans so trading him now might be the best value for the club. The team is in need of future infielders on the left side of the infield and they get two here. Owen Miller will be able to contribute now and Aaron Bracho down the road.

As for Maeda, he would bring with him an ERA of 4.85, quite the jump from his career 3.83 mark which makes it seem like better innings could be in front of him. After leading the majors in WHIP last season, his mark has doubled this year, so while it’s been a rough start there’s a good chance he could even out soon.

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.