Cleveland Indians: 3 affordable trade targets that could improve the outfield

3 affordable trade targets for the Cleveland Indians that could improve the outfield

Exactly one month remains between now and MLB’s July 30th trade deadline and now, more than ever, the Cleveland Indians need outfield help. Desperately. Josh Naylor is the latest casualty of the Tribe’s injury plague, suffering a broken ankle after a collision with Ernie Clement on a fairly routine pop up in right field in Minnesota on June 27th.

In the very near term, Oscar Mercado was called up from Triple-A Columbus and will be given the first opportunity from within the organization to fill Naylor’s roster spot. Mercado slashed .269/.318/.443 over the course of 115 games in 2019, hitting 25 doubles, 15 home runs and driving in 54 runs.

Should he regain that form the Indians will be ecstatic, but Mercado struggled mightily in a shortened 2020, hitting just .128 before being sent to the team’s alternate training site in August.

Other internal options include Daniel Johnson, who has logged just seven games in the majors over two seasons, and top prospect Nolan Jones, a natural third basemen that the Indians have experimented with as an outfielder.

Jones is currently slashing .222/.355/.405 in his age 23 season through 46 games with Columbus and the caveat that he’s just learning the outfield could be a defensive catastrophe for a team in need of replacement level consistency.

Without promoting a prospect to the majors too soon or attempting to make a player like Yu Chang or Owen Miller play the outfield, the only remaining option for the Indians is to look externally. Cleveland currently owns the third lowest team payroll in baseball and the team’s aversion to large contracts is well documented, so it’s highly unlikely the Tribe would attempt to land a white whale like Starling Marte.

The myriad of injuries all around Cleveland’s roster, not just the outfield, also hamstrings the organization in terms of prospect packages they’re able to part with. At the start of 2021 it would have seemed trivial for the Tribe to trade a starting pitcher from the farm for reinforcements at the deadline had the season gone as planned, but now the Indians have a four-man rotation featuring three starters who didn’t pitch a competitive inning in 2020.

Given Cleveland’s preference for a cheap contract and the organization’s prospects being at a premium, how do the Indians navigate the trade market while finding the right combination of impact bat and respectable defense? It’s a shallow list of outfielders and teams that have what the Indians are looking for, but not lacking in quality.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #1: David Dahl, Texas Rangers

There was a point in time this past offseason that David Dahl, an oft-injured former Colorado Rockies upstart might have been the best value outfielder in free agency. Dahl, an All-Star in  2019, was coming off an injury plagued 2020 that saw him slash just .183/.222/.247 in 24 games for Colorado before signing with the Texas Rangers for $2.7M. For the record, Cleveland’s highest paid outfielder this season is Eddie Rosario, commanding $8M in cap space in his age 29 season.

Dahl, who is only 27, is currently on the Rangers’ injured list and has slashed .208/.242/.340 in 42 games so far in 2021. Those numbers aren’t necessarily an improvement over any one player on the Tribe’s current 40-man, but Dahl still possesses his 2019 All-Star potential, where he slashed .302/.353/.582 over the course of 100 games with Colorado.

And for those of you who drone on about the advantages of being a hitter at Coors Field, Dahl’s 2019 splits showed similar power at home and on the road, hitting 16 doubles and nine home runs at home versus 12 doubles and six home runs on the road.

The Rangers took a flier on Dahl, weighing the risk-reward of his injury history and his past production, much the same way the Indians have taken fliers on players like Carlos Gonzalez or Domingo Santana. So, how does an injury prone outfielder help Cleveland and how do they get him without breaking the bank?

Let’s say, rather optimistically, that Mercado is able to regain some fraction of his 2019 superpowers. Platooning Dahl and Mercado in a corner outfield spot could be highly beneficial to the Indians, given that Dahl may just need a combination of new scenery, extra off days/rest and to be apart of a competitive team making a playoff push. If by doing so Dahl and Mercado are able to come close to their career averages of .275 and .246 respectively, then the Tribe is on to something.

Dahl backfired for the Rangers, a team in the midst of a rather lengthy rebuild, where they hoped he might stay healthy and draw a hefty prospect package at the deadline. Given how the season has played out, the cost for Dahl should be somewhat reduced, meaning a pair of prospects along the likes of second basemen Andruw Monasterio and catcher Bryan Lavastida might be enough to seal the deal.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #3: Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh Pirates

Adam Frazier represents arguably the hottest commodity on the trade market among this trio of players, a 29-year old natural second basemen with outfield experience slashing .326/.395/.465 with 24 doubles through 77 game in 2021. Frazier has been arguably the most consistent Pirate since debuting in 2016, owning a career slash line of .281/.345/.421 over six seasons with Pittsburgh.

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Knowing Frazier’s incredibly symmetrical home-away and righty-lefty splits, he would likely fill an every day role for the Tribe, presumably taking over right field on a near permanent basis while also being able to relieve Cesar Hernandez on occasion. He also has a reputation for not striking out, registering a career high 75 strikeouts in 2019 and fewer than 300 over his six seasons.  Combining the affordability of his $4.3 million contract and being the most concrete solution to Cleveland’s problems, Frazier is a slam dunk plug-and-play candidate from day one should the Tribe pull the trigger.

The Pirates have the second lowest payroll in the league with a roster comprised largely of prospects getting the chance to prove their value to the future of the club, and the odd veteran like Tyler Anderson and Gregory Polanco.

The likes of the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees likely have interest in a player like Frazier as well, driving up demand and starting a bidding war, exactly what the Pirates might be hoping for. The Pirates farm is stacked with middle infielders, meaning an outfielder or an arm would have to be guaranteed back to Pittsburgh. A package that includes catcher Bryan Lavastida, outfielder Daniel Johnson and a lottery ticket might pique the Pirates’ interest with Johnson close to major league ready.