Cleveland Indians: 1 trade to make and 1 trade to avoid at the trade deadline

1 trade the Cleveland Indians have to make

The one move that the Cleveland Indians have to make at the trade deadline is adding a starting pitcher with multiple seasons of control left on their contract. Whether the team is a buyer or a seller, this season has shown that there is a void between the next wave of starting pitching excellence in the minors, meaning the team needs to add an arm a different way.

When we say multiple seasons of control, just two would suffice. If Cleveland isn’t in contention in two weeks, then adding a rental starting pitcher doesn’t make sense at all. However, if the Tribe can find a player that will be back next year, it would make the deal worth it.

The issue is that most of the pitchers on the market will be rental options. If a player has team control beyond this season there’s a lower likelihood of them being moved. However, there are a few that fit the bill.

Kyle Gibson with the Texas Rangers has been heavily rumored in deals this offseason. With a 6-1 record on top of an American League-best 2.29 ERA, he seems like a prime target. Add on that he is under contract next year at $7 million and this seems like the perfect player for the Cleveland Indians to go after. Being 33-years old, he could also have a rather reasonable asking price.

Other pitchers that have multiple years of control and have been mentioned in trade deadline talk are Merrill Kelly with Arizona, German Marquez with Colorado and John Means in Baltimore.

Any of them could be options for Cleveland, but it will come down to what it will cost both contractually and in terms of a trade.

1 trade the Cleveland Indians have to avoid

It sounds a bit broad, and quite frankly difficult, but the Cleveland Indians need to avoid trading away pieces of their core, both present and future. That means avoiding the Big Three in the rotation along with players like Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes. But it also means holding on to guys like Bo Naylor, Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias.

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This might seem like a given, but it hasn’t always been that way. Moving all the starting pitchers that the team has in the last few years has come around to hurt the club this year. They moved talent for the next wave, but in turn created a void between one group and the next with little immediate depth help in the minors.

To the same note, the team doesn’t want to jeopardize the future for one run. Players like Naylor, Jones and Arias are already paving the road for themselves to the big leagues and have shown that they are the future of the club.

So, what can the team trade away? If they become sellers the players are rather clear. Move players on one-year deals to gain something in return. Cesar Hernandez, Eddie Rosario, those types of contracts.

If Cleveland ends up as buyers, we just have to trust in the front office that they are moving the right prospects. The club has a plethora of middle infielders, so that seems like the most likely route, but which one? That’s where the trust comes in and we just have to hope that it isn’t a deal like the Gio Urshela one three years ago that the team comes to regret.